ABSTRACT
Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation in noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs) produces strong extinction spectra that in recent years have been used for chemical and biological sensing. This chapter describes recent developments in LSPR sensing that utilize key relationships governing the LSPR spectra, particularly wavelength shift, and their sensitivity to the local environment, including particle size and shape. Since the detection process is based on the change of refractive index of the surrounding medium when the analyte interacts with a molecular group on the nanoparticle surface, the sensor is label free.
