Plasmonic Gas Sensing with Graphene Nanoribbons

Gas detection is important in many endeavors, including healthcare, security, environmental science, and the semiconductor industry. Electronic gas detection can be highly sensitive, but its major drawback is poor $s{{0}{0ex}}p{{0}{0ex}}e{{0}{0ex}}c{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}f{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}c{{0}{0ex}}i{{0}{0ex}}t{{0}{0ex}}y$, the ability to distinguish various analytes in a gas mixture. Here researchers explore theoretically the possibility of optical gas detection via plasmons in graphene. They discuss the trapping of molecules on a graphene nanoribbon via adsorption and optical and electrostatic fields, and how these approaches allow for plasmon-based detection with enhanced spectroscopic sensitivity.