Plasmonic antennas and zero mode waveguides to enhance single molecule fluorescence detection and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy towards physiological concentrations

Single-molecule approaches to biology offer a powerful new vision to elucidate the mechanisms that underpin the functioning of living cells. However, conventional optical single molecule spectroscopy techniques such as F\"orster fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) or fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) are limited by diffraction to the nanomolar concentration range, far below the physiological micromolar concentration range where most biological reaction occur. To breach the diffraction limit, zero mode waveguides and plasmonic antennas exploit the surface plasmon resonances to confine and enhance light down to the nanometre scale. The ability of plasmonics to achieve extreme light concentration unlocks an enormous potential to enhance fluorescence detection, FRET and FCS. Single molecule spectroscopy techniques greatly benefit from zero mode waveguides and plasmonic antennas to enter a new dimension of molecular concentration reaching physiological conditions. The application of nano-optics to biological problems with FRET and FCS is an emerging and exciting field, and is promising to reveal new insights on biological functions and dynamics.
Comment: WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2014