Metal-enhanced fluorescence: The role of quantum yield, Q0, in enhanced fluorescence

Metal-enhanced fluorescence has attracted enormous research and commercial interest in recent years, due to the ability to significantly enhance fluorescence signatures in the near-field as well as protect fluorophores against photobleaching. In this article, we address one of the major unresolved questions, whether far-field fluorophore quantum yield, Q(0), has a direct relationship to fluorescence enhancement factors in metal-enhanced fluorescence. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3692105]