Effects of surface density and size of gold nanoparticles in a fiber-optic localized surface plasmon resonance sensor and its application to peptide detection

In this study, a localized surface plasmon resonance sensor using an optical fiber was fabricated and experimentally proven for the possibility of achieving a biosensor by detecting a combination of peptides using the reaction of transglutaminase. To enhance the performance of a fiber-optic localized surface plasmon resonance (FO LSPR) sensor, we propose to improve the surface condition of an etched optical fiber. A process condition that is able to control the diameter and surface density ratio of gold nanoparticles on the etched optical fiber was established and the sensor with optimized sensitivity was fabricated through optical analysis of varying diameters and surface density ratios of gold nanoparticles. The proposed FO LSPR sensor is expected to measure various biological reactions, and it can be applied to various biological applications.