Plasmonic microwave metamaterial waveguide sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12455268-B2
Application number	US-202318101702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2023
Priority date	Jan 31, 2022
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

A method to detect the presence and or concentration of an analyte in the environment of a spoof plasmon sensor having the steps of: providing a spoof plasmon sensor into an environment; interrogating said spoof plasmon sensor with an electromagnetic signal; collecting a modified electromagnetic signal from the spoof plasmon sensor; and analyzing the modified electromagnetic signal to detect an analyte in the environment of the sensor. A spoof plasmon sensor for detecting an analyte having a substrate with a superior surface; and a conductive material disposed on said superior surface, said conductive material defining a waveguide having a dual tapering shape, wherein said waveguide defines spoof plasmon cavities which are exposed substrate, where said substrate is configured to change in permittivity when contacted by an analyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to detect the presence or concentration of an analyte in the environment of a spoof plasmon sensor comprising:
providing a spoof plasmon sensor into an environment;
interrogating said spoof plasmon sensor with an electromagnetic signal;
collecting a modified electromagnetic signal from the spoof plasmon sensor; and
analyzing the modified electromagnetic signal to detect an analyte in the environment of the sensor
wherein the spoof plasmon sensor comprises a substrate with a superior surface, wherein a conductive material is disposed on the superior surface of the substrate, wherein said conductive material defines a waveguide, wherein the waveguide defines spoof plasmon cavities comprising exposed substrate,
wherein said modified electromagnetic signal is generated as a result of an analyte in the environment interacting with and changing the permittivity of the substrate; and wherein the analyte interacting with the substrate changes the permittivity of the substrate by causing the substrate to change phase.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic signal has a frequency between approximately 1 GHz and approximately 100 GHz.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a metamaterial selected from the group consisting of polymers, metal organic frameworks, coordinational organic frameworks, biopolymers, biomolecules, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises PTFE.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyte is a gas selected from the group consisting of CO 2 , CO, N 2 , H 2 , H 2 O, CH 4 , and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein interrogating said spoof plasmon sensor comprises wirelessly transmitting said electromagnetic signal from an interrogator to said spoof plasmon sensor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the spoof plasmon sensor has a response time of less than four seconds.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the modified electromagnetic signal to detect an analyte in the environment of the sensor comprises detecting the presence of an analyte in the environment of the sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the modified electromagnetic signal to detect an analyte in the environment of the sensor comprises detecting the concentration of the analyte in the environment of the sensor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the concentration of the analyte is between approximately 100% and approximately 1000 ppm.

11. A spoof plasmon sensor for detecting an analyte comprising:
a substrate with a superior surface; and
a conductive material disposed on said superior surface, said conductive material defining a waveguide having a dual tapering shape, wherein said waveguide defines spoof plasmon cavities comprising exposed substrate, wherein said substrate is configured to change in permittivity when contacted by an analyte and wherein the substrate is configured to change phase and permittivity when contacted by an analyte.

12. The spoof plasmon sensor of claim 11 wherein the sensor is configured to operate with a frequency between approximately 1 GHz and approximately 100 GHz.

Assignees

• Us Energy

Inventors

• Shugayev Roman
• Devkota Jagannath
• Ohodnicki Jr Paul R

Classifications

• G01N33/004

  CO or CO2 · CPC title

• G01N22/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of microwaves or radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of one millimetre or more (G01N3/00 - G01N17/00, G01N24/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N33/0027 Primary

  concerning the detector · CPC title