Plasmonic materials

One of the best-studied applications of plasmonic materials is sensors for 1 chemical and biological agents. In one approach, researchers coat a plasmonic nanomaterial with a substance that 2 to a molecule of interest, say, a bacterial toxin. In the absence of the toxin, light shining on the material is 3 at a specific angle. But if the toxin is present, it will alter the frequency o the surface plasmon and, thus consequently, the angle of the reflected light. This effect can be measured with great accuracy, 4 even trace amounts of the toxin.