Plasmonic-based gas sensing with graphene nanoribbons

TL;DR

This paper investigates enhancing plasmonic gas sensors using graphene nanoribbons by trapping gas molecules to improve infrared absorption detection, achieving measurable optical extinction changes at practical gas concentrations.

Contribution

It introduces a method to trap gas molecules on graphene nanoribbons to significantly boost plasmonic sensing capabilities for gas detection.

Findings

Gas adsorption causes measurable dips in optical extinction.

Trapping enhances gas-plasmon interactions for improved sensing.

Detects gas concentrations at parts per thousand levels.

Abstract

The main challenge to exploiting plasmons for gas vibrational mode sensing is the extremely weak infrared absorption of gas species. In this work, we explore the possibility of trapping free gas molecules via surface adsorption, optical, or electrostatic fields to enhance gas-plasmon interactions and to increase plasmon sensing ability. We discuss the relative strengths of these trapping forces and found gas adsorption in a typical nanoribbon array plasmonic setup produces measurable dips in optical extinction of magnitude 0.1 % for gas concentration of about parts per thousand level.