A suitably engineered plasmonic metamaterial featuring topologically protected sharp phase variations close to a zero-reflection point of incident lightwaves has now been demonstrated. Exploiting the high sensitivity of the abrupt phase changes, and by using reversible hydrogenation of graphene and binding of streptavidin–biotin, the detection of individual biomolecules and an areal mass sensitivity of the order of fg mm−2 is reported.
- V. G. Kravets
- F. Schedin
- A. N. Grigorenko