The present disclosure is directed toward a target detector, a method of detecting a change in a target, target monitoring apparatus, and a method of monitoring a target. For example, a target detector includes a structure having a gain medium comprising a plurality of disordered nanostructure features and a target-sensitive material. In addition, for instance, the structure, when pumped, supports random lasing and exhibits a change in the gain of the gain medium and the random lasing in response to a change in the target. Accordingly, it is possible to use an appropriately fabricated random laser material as a detector or sensor for a target. In particular, example embodiments perform sensing operations by utilizing the properties of random lasing. That target may, for example, comprise a change in a physical parameter of an environment adjacent, surrounding or permeating the random laser material.

The present invention relates to sensors for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte, the sensor comprising: (i) a first phase comprising a first crosslinked polymer: (ii) a second phase comprising a second crosslinked polymer: and (ill) a target analyte recognition agent: the first phase and second phase arranged to form an optical grating. The first crosslinked polymer comprises low amounts of a crosslinking agent. The present invention also relates to methods of making a sensor for detecting the presence or measuring the concentration of a target analyte.

Disclosed are improved optical detection systems and methods comprising multiplexed interferometric detection systems and methods for determining a characteristic property of a sample, together with various applications of the disclosed techniques.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and devices for the detection of nucleic acids. Some embodiments relate to portable devices comprising nanochannels for efficient detection of a nucleic acid comprising a target polynucleotide sequence in a sample, and use thereof. More embodiments include detection methods in which a sample and one or more nucleic acid probes are introduced into a channel. A first potential difference is applied across the length of the channel in a first direction, and a first electrical property value is detected. Subsequently, a second potential difference is applied across the length of the channel in a second opposite direction, and a second electrical property value is detected. Presence or absence of a nucleic acid in the channel is determined based on a comparison between the first and second electrical property values.

The present invention provides an SPR sensor cell having very excellent detection sensitivity, the SPR sensor cell including: an under-cladding layer; a core layer formed so that at least a part of the core layer is adjacent to the under-cladding layer; and a metal layer covering the core layer. In the SPR sensor cell, the core layer includes a uniform refractive index layer and a graded refractive index layer. The graded refractive index layer is arranged between the uniform refractive index layer and the metal layer. A refractive index of the graded refractive index layer is equal to or more than a refractive index of the uniform refractive index layer, and the refractive index of the graded refractive index layer increases continuously from a surface thereof on a uniform refractive index layer side to the metal layer side in a thickness direction of the graded refractive index layer.

Provided is a gas detection method using a localized surface plasmon sensor that can transmit, reflect, or scatter applied electromagnetic waves and that causes a change in a response spectrum of the applied electromagnetic waves due to interaction with a target to be detected, wherein the localized surface plasmon sensor includes at least an aggregate of particles having a core-shell structure composed of a core made of a substance having a maximum optical absorption peak wavelength due to surface plasmon resonances in an infrared region and a shell covering the core, the shell absorbs or reacts with the target to be detected to show a change in its refractive index, and the core has an average particle diameter D.sub.1 of 0.6 m or more but less than the maximum optical absorption peak wavelength of the core.

The present invention provides for photonic nanoimprinted silk fibroin-based materials and methods for making same, comprising embossing silk fibroin-based films with photonic nanometer scale patterns. In addition, the invention provides for processes by which the silk fibroin-based films can be nanoimprinted at room temperature, by locally decreasing the glass transition temperature of the silk film. Such nanoimprinting process increases high throughput and improves potential for incorporation of silk-based photonics into biomedical and other optical devices.

The invention describes a device allowing the observation of a sample, comprising particles, for example biological particles, by lensless imaging. The sample is disposed against a substrate, the substrate being interposed between a light source and an image sensor. The substrate comprises at least one thin film, extending across a thin film plane, structured so as to form a diffraction grating, designed to confine a part of a light wave emitted by the light source, in a plane parallel to said thin film plane. The device does not comprise magnification optics between the substrate and the image sensor.

An optical sensor system is provided which can be used not only as an ordinary light source, but also to calculate an environmental parameter. Rear surface outgoing light (31) output from a rear surface (21) of a semiconductor laser (10) is used in a process of calculating an environmental parameter by control and arithmetic device (60) to, while front surface outgoing light (30) output from a front surface (20) is used in an application other than the calculation of the environmental parameter.

An optical interferometric sensor presents a first optical path defining a sensing arm and a second optical path defining a reference arm. The sensor includes with respect to the first and second optical path an optical splitter placed upstream and an optical combiner placed downstream. Along the sensing arm are placed a first waveguide comprising a substrate and a binding surface functionalized to bind to at least one marker of an analyte and a first optical element. Along the reference arm are placed a second waveguide including a substrate identical to the substrate of the first waveguide and a second optical element presenting the same optical response of the first optical element. The sensor further includes a single microfluidic channel running through the first and the second waveguide.