Nano antennas sense molecules in infrared spectrum

‘The identification of molecules by sensing their unique absorption resonances is very important for environmental monitoring, industrial process control and military applications,’ said team leader Daniel Wasserman, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. Wasserman is also a part of the Micro and Nano Technology Laboratory at Illinois.



The food and pharmaceutical industries use light to detect contaminants and to ensure quality. The light interacts with the bonds in the molecules, which resonate at particular frequencies, giving each molecule a spectral fingerprint.

Many molecules and materials resonate more strongly in the IR end of the spectrum, which has wavelengths of light that are often larger than the molecules themselves.



‘The absorption signatures of some of the molecules of interest for these applications can be quite weak, and as we move to nanoscale materials, it can be very difficult to see absorption from volumes smaller than the wavelength of light,’ Wasserman said in a statement. ‘It is here that our antenna array surfaces could have a significant impact.’