Optical sensors and biosensors

We pursue development of novel optical concepts for sensitive detection of chemical and biological species. Both affinity and fingerprinting-based routes to specific detection of target analytes are followed in configurations that are suitable for continuous monitoring as well as for rapid analysis. Through the implementation of optical and enzymatic amplification strategies, ultrasensitive detection with ultimate sensitivity at single molecule level is achieved with the readout techniques including surface plasmon resonance (SPR), plasmon-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (PEF), and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In collaboration with organic chemists and engineers, we tailor polymer-based sensing architectures for direct detection formats in complex liquid samples.