Dual-Gradient Plasmonic qBIC Metasurface for Time-Resolved In Situ Optimization of Molecular Vibrational Sensing in Water
Abstract
Metaphotonic platforms based on quasi-bound states in the continuum (qBICs), harnessing strong near-field enhancement and deeply subwavelength field confinement, provide a versatile framework for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. However, real-time molecular sensing in water using qBIC metasurfaces remains challenging. First, strong water absorption in the mid-infrared region damps qBICs and obscures weak analyte signals. Second, conventional metasurfaces rely on discrete arrays targeting individual wavelengths and coupling conditions, increasing the device footprint and fabrication effort required to match the qBIC to the molecular vibrational resonance. Here, we present a dual-gradient plasmonic qBIC metasurface with diamond-shaped resonators for in situ molecular vibrational sensing in water, where spatially encoded gradients in the scaling factor and asymmetry parameter independently control the qBIC spectral positions and radiative rates, respectively, across a 1000 um x 700 um footprint. Building on this capability, we experimentally monitor lipid vesicle dynamics in real time and resolve the carbonyl vibrational signature despite the unavoidable water absorption. We then directly identify the optimal sensing condition and track its evolution across the spatially encoded parameter space. The results establish a compact single-chip strategy that combines adsorption-kinetics monitoring, vibrational fingerprint detection, and on-chip optimization, opening opportunities for investigating biological dynamics under aqueous conditions.
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BibTeX
@misc{jiang2026dualgradient,
title = {{Dual-Gradient Plasmonic qBIC Metasurface for Time-Resolved In Situ Optimization of Molecular Vibrational Sensing in Water}},
author = {Tao Jiang and Michael Hirler and Lina Rohrer and Martin Barkey and Dmytro Gryb and Leonardo de S. Menezes and Silvia Holler and Stefan A. Maier and Yohan Lee and Alexander A. Antonov and Andreas Tittl},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.30892},
eprint = {2608.30892},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30892},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Dual-Gradient Plasmonic qBIC Metasurface for Time-Resolved In Situ Optimization of Molecular Vibrational Sensing in Water
AU - Tao Jiang
AU - Michael Hirler
AU - Lina Rohrer
AU - Martin Barkey
AU - Dmytro Gryb
AU - Leonardo de S. Menezes
AU - Silvia Holler
AU - Stefan A. Maier
AU - Yohan Lee
AU - Alexander A. Antonov
AU - Andreas Tittl
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.30892
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30892
AB - Metaphotonic platforms based on quasi-bound states in the continuum (qBICs), harnessing strong near-field enhancement and deeply subwavelength field confinement, provide a versatile framework for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy. However, real-time molecular sensing in water using qBIC metasurfaces remains challenging. First, strong water absorption in the mid-infrared region damps qBICs and obscures weak analyte signals. Second, conventional metasurfaces rely on discrete arrays targeting individual wavelengths and coupling conditions, increasing the device footprint and fabrication effort required to match the qBIC to the molecular vibrational resonance. Here, we present a dual-gradient plasmonic qBIC metasurface with diamond-shaped resonators for in situ molecular vibrational sensing in water, where spatially encoded gradients in the scaling factor and asymmetry parameter independently control the qBIC spectral positions and radiative rates, respectively, across a 1000 um x 700 um footprint. Building on this capability, we experimentally monitor lipid vesicle dynamics in real time and resolve the carbonyl vibrational signature despite the unavoidable water absorption. We then directly identify the optimal sensing condition and track its evolution across the spatially encoded parameter space. The results establish a compact single-chip strategy that combines adsorption-kinetics monitoring, vibrational fingerprint detection, and on-chip optimization, opening opportunities for investigating biological dynamics under aqueous conditions.
ER -