Cancer Diagnosis Using Terahertz-Graphene-Metasurface-Based Biosensor with Dual-Resonance Response

Owing to the outstanding physical properties of graphene, its biosensing applications implemented by the terahertz metasurface are widely concerned and studied. Here, we present a novel design of the graphene metasurface, which consists of an individual graphene ring and an H-shaped graphene structure. The graphene metasurface exhibits a dual-resonance response, whose resonance frequency strongly varies with the geometrical parameters of the proposed metasurface, the carrier density of graphene, and the analyte composition. The transparency window, including width and position, can be artificially controlled by adjusting the geometrical parameters or the Fermi energy. Furthermore, the sensing parameters of the graphene metasurface for cancerous and normal cells are investigated, focusing on two factors, namely cell quantity and position on the metasurface. The simulated results clearly show that the theoretical sensitivity, figure of merit, and quantity of the graphene metasurface for breast cells reach 1.21 THz/RIU, 2.75 RIU-1, and 2.43, respectively. Our findings may open up new avenues for promising applications in the diagnosis of cancers.

Automated summary

In this study, a graphene metasurface composed of an individual graphene ring and an H-shaped graphene structure was proposed. The graphene metasurface exhibited a dual-resonance response and its resonance frequency was strongly influenced by the geometrical parameters and carrier density of graphene. The sensing parameters of the graphene metasurface for breast cancer cells were investigated, and the results showed high theoretical sensitivity and figure of merit. This research opens up new possibilities for cancer diagnosis applications.