In this paper, we describe how it is possible to harness the photo-thermal effects occurring in metallic nanoparticles to develop molecular sensors. In particular, we numerically demonstrate how a change of the surrounding medium affects the localized surface plasmon resonance with a consequent shift of the corresponding resonance wavelength, enabling the detection of analytes on metal nanospheres. At the same time, the photothermal response of the nanostructures is modified because of the shift of the plasmonic resonance due to the variation of the refractive index of the host medium. By monitoring the photothermal response, it is possible to quantify the concentration of the analytes binding at the metal nanoparticle surface.

中文翻译：

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基于金属纳米粒子光热响应的热等离子体生物传感演示

在本文中，我们描述了如何利用金属纳米粒子中发生的光热效应来开发分子传感器。特别是，我们从数值上证明了周围介质的变化如何影响局部表面等离子体共振，从而导致相应共振波长的变化，从而能够检测金属纳米球上的分析物。同时，由于主体介质折射率的变化导致等离子体共振的位移，纳米结构的光热响应被修改。通过监测光热响应，可以量化结合在金属纳米颗粒表面的分析物的浓度。