Sensitivity improved surface plasmon resonance sensor based on graphene and gold nanorods

In this study, we proposed a new sensing configuration for enhancing the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based on graphene and gold nanorods (Au NRs). Both analytical modeling based on Fresnel equations and numerical analyses through finite element method (FEM) are performed to optimize the number of graphene layers and the aspect ratio (AR) of Au NRs. The improved sensitivity up to 10⁶ degree/ RIU can be achieved by adding a monolayer of graphene onto the Au sensing film with coupling of localized SPR of Au NR (AR=2).