Advances in Plasmonic Substrate-Coupled Fluorescence

Plasmonic substrates that enable molding of light in nanoscale dimensions have made a deep impact in the field of fluorescence spectroscopy. By integration of fluorophores with plasmonic nanostructures it has become possible to utilize the favourable attributes of surface plasmon resonances to bring about extraordinary changes in fluorescence properties. The concepts of “plasmophore” and “spectro-plasmonics” have undoubtedly benefitted the field of fluorescence by providing enhanced intensities, photostability and directional, wavelength-resolved emission. This Chapter describes the fundamentals of plasmon-fluorophore interactions with metal nanoparticles that support localized surface plasmons (LSPs) and thin metal films that support propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). It outlines various ways of fabricating plasmonic nanostructures for fluorescence coupling, newly emerging plasmonic materials beyond Au and Ag, and interesting applications of plasmon-coupled fluorescence in sensing, imaging, single molecule detection and display technologies.