Local Refractive Index Sensing Based on Edge Gold-Coated Silver Nanoprisms

Bulk and surface refractive index sensitivity for localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing based on edge gold-coated silver nanoprisms (GSNPs) and gold nanospheres was investigated and compared with conventional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing based on propagating surface plasmons. The hybrid GSNPs benefit from an improved stability since the gold frame protecting the unstable silver facets located at the silver nanoprisms (SNPs) edges and tips prevents truncation or rounding of their sharp tips or edges, maintaining a high refractive index sensitivity even under harsh conditions. By using layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes and protein adsorption, we found that GSNPs exhibit 4-fold higher local refractive index sensitivity in close proximity (