TY - CHAP A1 - van der Weerd, Bastiaan A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A Conductivity Probe for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide Tension at the Oxygenator Exhaust Outlet during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) T2 - analytica Conference 2014, 1. bis 4. April, München Y1 - 2014 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - van der Weerd, Bastiaan A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A Conductivity Probe for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide Tension at the Oxygenator Exhaust Outlet during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) T2 - Electrochemistry 2014, September 22 - 24, Mainz Y1 - 2014 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - van der Weerd, Bastiaan A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - A Planar Conductivity Probe for CO2 Determination at the Oxygenator Outlet T2 - Doktorandenseminar GDCh Prozessanalytik 2014, Berlin Y1 - 2014 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wunderlich, Lukas A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Maerkl, Susanne A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Hirsch, Thomas T1 - Nanoparticle Determination in Water by LED-Excited Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging JF - Chemosensors N2 - The increasing popularity of nanoparticles in many applications has led to the fact that these persistent materials pollute our environment and threaten our health. An online sensor system for monitoring the presence of nanoparticles in fresh water would be highly desired. We propose a label-free sensor based on SPR imaging. The sensitivity was enhanced by a factor of about 100 by improving the detector by using a high-resolution camera. This revealed that the light source also needed to be improved by using LED excitation instead of a laser light source. As a receptor, different self-assembled monolayers have been screened. It can be seen that the nanoparticle receptor interaction is of a complex nature. The best system when taking sensitivity as well as reversibility into account is given by a dodecanethiol monolayer on the gold sensor surface. Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles, 29 nm in diameter and with a similar refractive index to the most common silica nanoparticles were detected in water down to 1.5 mu g mL(-1). The sensor can be fully regenerated within one hour without the need for any washing buffer. This sensing concept is expected to be easily adapted for the detection of nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition, and upon miniaturization, suitable for long-term applications to monitor the quality of water. KW - ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES KW - imaging KW - nanoparticle KW - plasmon resonance KW - REFRACTIVE-INDEX KW - sensor KW - surface Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/chemosensors9070175 SN - 2227-9040 VL - 9 IS - 7 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - MDPI ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Roth, Carina A1 - Vitzthumecker, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf ED - Ribeiro, Paulo ED - Raposo, Maria T1 - Miniaturized Surface Plasmon Resonance Based Sensor Systems BT - Opportunities and Challenges T2 - Optics, Photonics and Laser Technology 2018 N2 - Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a well-known and established technology in bioanalysis and pharmaceutical sciences. Due to the expensive instrumentation and the need of trained people, it is mainly limited to applications in laboratories. However, there are some areas like environmental monitoring, chemical processing and civil infrastructure, which urgently need new sensor technologies. SPR has the potential to serve these fields. In order to be qualified for a use in these areas SPR has to overcome some hurdles. The instrumentation has to be robust, small in size and cheap. A device, which fits these needs, will be a micro-opto-electro-mechanical system (MOEMS) with integrated intelligent algorithms. In this book chapter, examples of miniaturized SPR devices are introduced, the limitations which have to be overcome as well as the possibilities for future applications are proposed. Due to the manifold advantages of this technology and the dropping prices for imaging sensors, Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi) might become one of the leading technologies for SPR smart sensor systems. Y1 - 2019 SN - 978-3-030-30112-5 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30113-2_8 SP - 169 EP - 195 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Creating a Digital Twin of a Photoacoustic Gas Sensor for Methane Detection in Complex Gas Matrices T2 - Proceedings Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress 2022 (AIS, LACSEA, Sensors, ES): 11–15 July 2022, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada N2 - We present the calculation results from a digital twin (DT) of our photoacoustic (PA) sensor for methane detection, regarding gas composition, temperature and pressure variations. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-1-957171-10-4 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/LACSEA.2022.LW4D.2 PB - Optica Publishing Group ER - TY - INPR A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Müller-Williams, Jennifer A1 - Lindauer, Matthias A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Ambient methane monitoring at Hohenpeißenberg utilizing photoacoustic spectroscopy and cavity ring down spectroscopy N2 - With an atmospheric concentration of approximately 2000 parts per billion (ppbV, 10−9) methane (CH4) is the second most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) in the atmosphere after carbon dioxide (CO2). The task of long-term and spatially resolved GHG monitoring to verify whether climate policy actions are effective, is becoming more crucial as climate change progresses. In this paper we report the CH4 concentration readings of our photoacoustic (PA) sensor over a five day period at Hohenpeißenberg, Germany. As a reference device a calibrated cavity ringdown spectrometer Picarro G2301 from the meteorological observatory was employed. Trace gas measurements with photoacoustic instruments promise to provide low detection limits at comparably low costs. However, PA devices are often susceptible to cross-sensitivities related to environmental influences. The obtained results show that relaxation effects due to fluctuating environmental conditions, e.g. ambient humidity, are a non-negligible factor in PA sensor systems. Applying algorithm compensation techniques, which are capable of calculating the influence of relaxational effects on the photoacoustic signal, increase the accuracy of the photoacoustic sensor significantly. With an average relative deviation of 1.11 % from the G2301, the photoacoustic sensor shows good agreement with the reference instrument. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1010 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Digital Twin of a Photoacoustic Trace Gas Sensor for Monitoring Methane in Complex Gas Compositions JF - Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - The digitalization of industrial processes requires smart sensor systems. Photoacoustic spectroscopy is well suited for this purpose as it allows for small-sized and low-cost trace gas analysis. However, the method is susceptible to changes in measurement conditions and standard calibration routines often fail to correct for all changes. We therefore created a Digital Twin (DT) of a photoacoustic trace gas sensor for methane and evaluated it regarding variations in gas composition (CH4, N2, O2, CO2, H2O), temperature and pressure. With a mean absolute percentage error of 0.8 % the accuracy of the sensor after DT compensation significantly exceeds the 24 % achieved based on standard calibration in nitrogen. For the first time, we can fully analytically compute the photoacoustic signal under moderate ambient conditions with an error in the ppbV range by taking a holistic approach. Assuming knowledge of the underlying energy transfer processes, the model of this Digital Twin can be adapted to any microphone based photoacoustic sensor for monitoring any analyte species. KW - Digital Twin KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Smart sensor KW - Acoustic resonance monitoring KW - CoNRad KW - Calibration-free method Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2022.133119 N1 - Preprint unter: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4215170 ; https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-oth-regensburg/frontdoor/index/index/docId/5417 IS - 378 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zifarelli, Andrea A1 - Cantatore, Aldo Francesco Pio A1 - Sampaolo, Angelo A1 - Mueller, Max A1 - Rueck, Thomas A1 - Hoelzl, Christine A1 - Rossmadl, Hubert A1 - Patimisco, Pietro A1 - Spagnolo, Vincenzo T1 - Multivariate analysis and digital twin modelling: Alternative approaches to evaluate molecular relaxation in photoacoustic spectroscopy JF - Photoacoustics N2 - A comparative analysis of two different approaches developed to deal with molecular relaxation in photoacoustic spectroscopy is here reported. The first method employs a statistical analysis based on partial least squares regression, while the second method relies on the development of a digital twin of the photoacoustic sensor based on the theoretical modelling of the occurring relaxations. Methane detection within a gas matrix of synthetic air with variable humidity level is selected as case study. An interband cascade laser emitting at 3.345 µm is used to target methane absorption features. Two methane concentration ranges are explored targeting different absorptions, one in the order of part-per-million and one in the order of percent, while water vapor absolute concentration was varied from 0.3 % up to 2 %. The results achieved employing the detection techniques demonstrated the possibility to efficiently retrieve the target gas concentrations with accuracy > 95 % even in the case of strong influence of relaxation effects. KW - digital twin model KW - methane detection over a wide concentration range KW - multivariate analysis KW - Partial Least Squares Regression KW - QEPAS sensor KW - relaxation effects photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - water vapor influence on relaxation Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100564 SN - 2213-5979 VL - 33 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Wittmann, Elisabeth A1 - Weigl, Stefan A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Using a Modulated Quantum Cascade Laser for Photoacoustic Spectra Recording of Exhaled Acetone and Main Breath Components T2 - Optical Sensors and Sensing Congress 2022 (AIS, LACSEA, Sensors, ES) N2 - Photoacoustic spectra of main breath components together with acetone are presented demonstrating spectral linearity towards different concentrations and compositions. The acetone 3σ detection limit at 1209 cm−1 is 0.28 ppbV Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/AIS.2022.ATu3G.1 PB - Optica Publishing Group ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - König, Martin A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Design and Characterization of a Low-Cost Photoacoustic Sensor for NO2 Using Lateral Illumination and Background Suppression T2 - Imaging and Applied Optics Congress 2022 (3D, AOA, COSI, ISA, pcAOP): 11–15 July 2022, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada N2 - We introduce a low-cost photoacoustic NO2 sensor based on lateral LED illumination and optical background signal compensation. The 3σ limit of detection (LOD) was identified to be 24 ppbV. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-1-957171-09-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1364/3D.2022.JTu2A.10 PB - Optica Publishing Group ER - TY - INPR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Sukul, Pritam A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Miekisch, Wolfram A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Photoacoustic Trace-Analysis of Breath Isoprene and Acetone Via Interband- and Quantum Cascade Lasers N2 - This research presents two laser-based photoacoustic approaches for analyzing exhaled breath isoprene and acetone. The integration of a PTR-ToF-MS as a reference device ensured the reliability and accuracy of the PAS systems that is based on an ICL for isoprene and a QCL for acetone detection. The calibration yielded limits of detection of 26.9 ppbV and 1.7 ppbV, respectively, and corresponding normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficients (NNEAs) of 5.0E-9 Wcm-1Hz-0.5 and 4.9E-9 Wcm-1Hz-0.5. Laboratory as well as real breath sample measurements from alveolar breath revealed a robust system performance, with only one outlier within the static isoprene measurements. However, discrepancies emerged under dynamic breath sampling conditions, emphasizing the need for further optimization. Especially by knowing the dynamic nature and endogenous origin of exhaled isoprene our findings highlight the potential of breath analysis for non-invasive physio-metabolic and pathophysiological monitoring towards point-of-care devices. KW - photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - breath analysis/profiling KW - real-time mass spectroscopy KW - isoprene KW - acetone Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4834735 PB - Elsevier / SSRN ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Sukul, Pritam A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Miekisch, Wolfram A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Photoacoustic trace-analysis of breath isoprene and acetone via interband- and Quantum Cascade Lasers JF - Sensors and Actuators: B. Chemical N2 - This research presents two laser-based photoacoustic approaches for analyzing exhaled breath isoprene and acetone. The integration of a PTR-ToF-MS as a reference device ensured the reliability and accuracy of the photoacoustic systems that is based on an ICL for isoprene and a QCL for acetone detection. The calibration yielded limits of detection of 26.9 ppbV and 1.7 ppbV, respectively, and corresponding normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficients (NNEAs) of 5.0E-9 Wcm 1Hz 0.5 and 4.9E-9 Wcm 1Hz 0.5. Laboratory as well as real breath sample measurements from alveolar breath revealed a robust system performance, with only one outlier within the static isoprene measurements. However, discrepancies emerged under dynamic breath sampling conditions, emphasizing the need for further optimization. Especially by knowing the dynamic nature and endogenous origin of exhaled isoprene our findings highlight the potential of breath analysis for non-invasive physio-metabolic and pathophysiological monitoring towards point-of-care devices KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Breath analysis/profiling KW - Real-time mass spectrometry KW - Isoprene KW - Acetone Y1 - 2025 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:898-opus4-77024 N1 - Corresponding author der OTH Regensburg: Jonas Pangerl VL - 424 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Digitaler Zwilling photoakustischer Spurengassensoren zur Prozessüberwachung T2 - 16. Dresdner Sensor-Symposium 2022: Vorträge N2 - Stickstoffdioxid (NO2) wird hauptsächlich durch anthropogene Verbrennungsprozesse in Verkehr und Industrie in die Umgebungsluft eingebracht [1]. Die stark reaktive, oxidative Wirkung von NO2 kann bei Exposition mit höheren Konzentrationen Reizungen und allergische Reaktionen in den Atemwegen hervorrufen. Weiter führt NO2 zur Bildung von saurem Regen, Smog und Ozon (O3) die sich ebenso negativ auf die menschliche Gesundheit und Umwelt auswirken [2,3]. Aufgrund dieser Effekte wird die Spurengaskonzentration von NO2 in der Luft in Deutschland an ausgewählten, verkehrsreichen Orten gemessen. Y1 - 2022 SN - 978-3-9819376-7-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5162/16dss2022/3.3 PB - AMA (Association for Sensors + Measurement) ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rück, Thomas A1 - Pangerl, Jonas A1 - Escher, Lukas A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Müller, Max A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Matysik, Frank-Michael T1 - Kinetic cooling in mid-infrared methane photoacoustic spectroscopy: A quantitative analysis via digital twin verification JF - Photoacoustics N2 - This study presents a detailed quantitative analysis of kinetic cooling in methane photoacoustic spectroscopy, leveraging the capabilities of a digital twin model. Using a quantum cascade laser tuned to 1210.01 cm⁻¹, we investigated the effects of varying nitrogen-oxygen matrix compositions on the photoacoustic signals of 15 ppmV methane. Notably, the photoacoustic signal amplitude decreased with increasing oxygen concentration, even falling below the background signal at oxygen levels higher than approximately 6 %V. This phenomenon was attributed to kinetic cooling, where thermal energy is extracted from the surrounding gas molecules rather than added, as validated by complex vector analysis using a previously published digital twin model. The model accurately reproduced complex signal patterns through simulations, providing insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms by quantifying individual collision contributions. These findings underscore the importance of digital twins in understanding the fundamentals of photoacoustic signal generation at the molecular level. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacs.2024.100652 VL - 40 PB - Elsevier ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jobst, Simon A1 - Recum, Patrick A1 - Écija-Arenas, Ángela A1 - Moser, Elisabeth A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Hirsch, Thomas T1 - Semi-Selective Array for the Classification of Purines with Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging and Deep Learning Data Analysis JF - ACS sensors N2 - In process analytics or environmental monitoring, the real-time recording of the composition of complex samples over a long period of time presents a great challenge. Promising solutions are label-free techniques such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. They are, however, often limited due to poor reversibility of analyte binding. In this work, we introduce how SPR imaging in combination with a semi-selective functional surface and smart data analysis can identify small and chemically similar molecules. Our sensor uses individual functional spots made from different ratios of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide, which generate a unique signal pattern depending on the analyte due to different binding affinities. These patterns allow four purine bases to be distinguished after classification using a convolutional neural network (CNN) at concentrations as low as 50 μM. The validation and test set classification accuracies were constant across multiple measurements on multiple sensors using a standard CNN, which promises to serve as a future method for developing online sensors in complex mixtures. KW - surface plasmon resonance imaging KW - functional surface KW - graphene oxide KW - reduced graphene oxide KW - 2D materials KW - pattern recognition KW - small-molecule sensing Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.3c01114 VL - 8 IS - 9 SP - 3530 EP - 3537 PB - American Chemical Society ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Wunderlich, Lukas A1 - Fischer, Johannes A1 - Pfab, Christina A1 - Heckscher, Simon A1 - Hirsch, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Surface plasmon resonance imaging for detection of drug metabolites in water T2 - Proceedings of SPIE, Optical Sensors 2019, 1 - 4 April 2019, Prague, Czech Republic N2 - The analysis of surface water, groundwater, drinking water as well as sewage is important to get information about the contamination of the water cycle. Currently, these time-consuming investigations require special equipment, like for example hyphenated mass spectrometry. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a faster alternative as it is highly sensitive to changes in the dielectric medium next to a thin metal layer and makes it a quasi-universal detector. Therefore, and due to the labelfree nature, SPR is a widely used sensing tool for real‐time monitoring of molecular interactions of various analytes. SPR imaging (SPRi) has several advantages to standard surface plasmon resonance, as it allows to observe many analytes in parallel as well as the integration of referencing technologies. However, the homogenous illumination of a large area (several millimeters) with a small light source is challenging and demands new approaches. Allopurinol, a drug used to lower the blood concentration of urate and hence decrease the affection of gout, gets metabolized to oxipurinol in the body and dropped out almost entirely by urinary excretion. After wastewater treatment, concentrations of oxipurinol up to 21.7 μg•L-1 are detected. Further tracking of oxipurinol in the urban water cycle showed its presence in rivers and streams or even in groundwater. Therefore, the high biological stability of oxipurinol allows this molecule to be used as a marker for domestic wastewater in the environment. For the detection of oxipurinol by SPR graphene was used as receptive layer, as the analyte can bind via π-stacking to this surface. An SPRi technique was developed and compared to conventional SPR system for the detection of oxipurinol. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2522324 SN - 0277-786X VL - Vol. 11028 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Roth, Carina A1 - Aumer, F. A1 - Vitzthumecker, Thomas A1 - Genslein, Christa A1 - Hirsch, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Miniaturisiertes Sensorsystem zur Oberflächenplasmonenresonanzspektroskopie T2 - 118. Jahrestagung der deutschen Gesellschaft für angewandte Optik (DGaO), 6.-10. Juni 2017, Dresden N2 - Die Oberflächenplasmonenresonanzspektroskopie (SPR) wird aufgrund ihrer Vorzüge der zerstörungs- und markierungsfreien Messung, sowie der hohen Sensitivität sehr erfolgreich im Labormaßstab eingesetzt. Aufgrund der hohen Kosten geschieht dies bislang hauptsächlich in der Bioanalytik und dem Wirkstoffscreening. Gezeigt wird ein Ansatz, mit dem diese Technologie auf ein ultrakompaktes, kostengünstiges Sensorsystem übertragen wird, welches in der Lage ist, hoch-sensitiv Änderungen im Brechungsindex von 10-6 Einheiten (RIU) zu detektieren. Für Wasser bewirkt eine Temperaturschwankung von 1 K bereits eine Änderung von 1 mRIU. Daher wird durch ein integriertes Referenzsystem, sowie die Miniaturisierung erreicht, dass das System gegenüber Temperaturschwankungen, weitestgehend stabil ist. In dem MOEMS wird anstatt der konventionellen 1-Punkt bzw. 2-Punkt Messung ein bildgebendes Verfahren angewendet. Die Sensorfläche von 15 x 15 mm wird dabei mit einem handelsüblichen 4 Mio. Pixel CMOS Sensor ausgewertet. Um verlässliche Datenpunkte zu erhalten benötigt man eine Fläche von 10 x 10 Pixel. Demzufolge können auf dem Sensor theoretisch bis zu 40.000 Sensorspots parallel ausgewertet werden. KW - Messtechnik KW - Optische Systeme KW - Spektroskopie Y1 - 2017 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Genslein, Christa A1 - Roth, Carina A1 - Vitzthumecker, Thomas A1 - Hirsch, Thomas A1 - Bierl, Rudolf T1 - Miniaturized Surface Plasmon Resonance based Sensor System T2 - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Photonics, Optics and Laser Technology - PHOTOPTICS, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal N2 - We describe the miniaturization of the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology which mainly finds its applications in pharmaceutical screening and biotechnology so far. SPR spectroscopy is a label-free, non-destructive and highly sensitive measurement principle detecting changes in the refractive index in striking distance to a gold surface. A transfer of this technology to a miniaturized sensor will broaden the range of possible applications. A promising feature which is included in the miniaturized system is the angle-dependent recording of the SPR signals without moving parts. Commercial SPR assays are mainly working with a small number of sensing spots. In contrast, the SPR imaging system shown here will allow to use an array of many sensing spots. In combination with chemical receptors designed as an artificial nose, the simultaneous detection of many analytes is envisioned for future applications. KW - Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy KW - Sensor KW - SPR-imaging KW - Miniaturization KW - Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-989-758-286-8 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5220/0006555400630066 SP - 63 EP - 66 PB - SciTePress ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Genslein, Christa A1 - Hausler, Peter A1 - Kirchner, Eva-Maria A1 - Bierl, Rudolf A1 - Baeumner, Antje J. A1 - Hirsch, Thomas T1 - Graphene-enhanced plasmonic nanohole arrays for environmental sensing in aqueous samples JF - Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology N2 - The label-free nature of surface plasmon resonance techniques (SPR) enables a fast, specific, and sensitive analysis of molecular interactions. However, detection of highly diluted concentrations and small molecules is still challenging. It is shown here that in contrast to continuous gold films, gold nanohole arrays can significantly improve the performance of SPR devices in angle-dependent measurement mode, as a signal amplification arises from localized surface plasmons at the nanostructures. This leads consequently to an increased sensing capability of molecules bound to the nanohole array surface. Furthermore, a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sensor surface was layered over the nanohole array. Reduced graphene oxide is a 2D nanomaterial consisting of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms and is an attractive receptor surface for SPR as it omits any bulk phase and therefore allows fast response times. In fact, it was found that nanohole arrays demonstrated a higher shift in the resonance angle of 250–380% compared to a continuous gold film. At the same time the nanohole array structure as characterized by its diameter-to-periodicity ratio had minimal influence on the binding capacity of the sensor surface. As a simple and environmentally highly relevant model, binding of the plasticizer diethyl phthalate (DEP) via π-stacking was monitored on the rGO gold nanohole array realizing a limit of detection of as low as 20 nM. The concentration-dependent signal change was studied with the best performing rGO-modified nanohole arrays. Compared to continuous gold films a diameter-to-periodicity ratio (D/P) of 0.43 lead to a 12-fold signal enhancement. Finally, the effect of environmental waters on the sensor was evaluated using samples from sea, lake and river waters spiked with analytically relevant amounts of DEP during which significant changes in the SPR signal are observed. It is expected that this concept can be successfully transferred to enhance the sensitivity in SPR sensors. KW - diethyl phthalate KW - environmental sensing KW - nanohole array KW - nanosphere lithography KW - surface plasmon resonance Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-398623 IS - 7 SP - 1564 EP - 1573 ER -