Optical Signals From Confined Materials At Nanometer Scales: Miniaturization As The Future Of Contaminant Detection

Air pollution has become a critical public health issue in recent years, contributing significantly to the rise of respiratory diseases across large segments of the population and reducing average life expectancy. Although regulations exist to limit the emission of gases and particulate matter, there is a pressing need for more effective and comprehensive monitoring strategies. These strategies should enable real-time and large-scale detection of pollutant levels with greater accuracy. While monitoring stations are present in both developed and developing regions, more frequent and reliable data collection is essential to improve coverage and enhance data reliability.

This study focuses on pollutant monitoring and the development of innovative networks using miniaturized, low-cost sensor systems (LCS). It emphasizes research grounded in basic science, particularly the use of nanomaterials as sensors to selectively detect harmful gases and particles at low concentrations [1]. The study also explores the influence of local electric fields on the photophysical behavior of molecules near miniaturized systems [2], enabling the measurement of radiative and non-radiative processes triggered by device perturbations. This research aims to establish the foundation for building miniaturized sensors by integrating nanometer-scale devices into lab-on-a-chip systems [3], marking a significant step toward advancing low-cost, portable sensor technology.

The author are grateful to SECIHTI (CONAHCYT) for funding through grant CBF2023-2024-3073. The authors gratefully acknowledge the computing time granted by LANCAD and CONAHCYT on the supercomputers Yoltla (grant 21-2025) at LSVP UAM-Iztapalapa and UNAM.

[1] Experimental and computational investigation on the surface plasmon resonance of copper thin-films produced via pulsed laser deposition. Luis Mendoza-Luna, Cesar A. Guarin, Estefania Castañeda, Felipe Navarro Sánchez, Emmanuel Haro-Poniatowski, José L. Hernández-Pozos. Results in Optics. In review.

[2]Li, J.-F.; Li, C.-Y.; Aroca, R. F., Plasmon-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2017,46(13), 3962-3979

[3] Anderrsson, Helene; Van den berg, Albert. Microfluidic devices for cellomics: a review. Sensors and actuators B: Chemical, 2003, vol. 92, no 3, p. 315-325.