An angular fluidic channel for prism-free surface-plasmon-assisted fluorescence capturing

Surface plasmon excitation provides stronger enhancement of the fluorescence intensity and better sensitivity than other sensing approaches but requires optimal positioning of a prism to ensure optimum output of the incident light. Here we describe a simple, highly sensitive optical sensing system combining surface plasmon excitation and fluorescence to address this limitation. V-shaped fluidic channels are employed to mimic the functions of a prism, sensing plate, and flow channel in a single setup. Superior performance is demonstrated for different biomolecular recognition reactions on a self-assembled monolayer, and the sensitivity reaches 100 fM for biotin–streptavidin interactions. Using an antibody as a probe, we demonstrate the detection of intact influenza viruses at 0.2 HA units ml−1 levels. The convenient sensing system developed here has the advantages of being prism-free and requiring less sample (1–2 μl), making this platform suitable for use in situations requiring low sample volumes.