Gold island films on indium tin oxide for localized surface plasmon sensing

Mechanically, chemically and optically stable gold island films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by direct thermal evaporation of thin gold films (2-6 nm) without the need for pre- or post-coating. The effect of mild thermal annealing (150 degrees C, 12 h) or short high temperature annealing (500 degrees C, 1 min) on the morphology of the gold nanostructures was investigated. ITO covered with 2 nm gold nanoislands and annealed at 500 degrees C for 1 min was investigated for its ability to detect the adsorption of biotinylated bovine serum albumin using local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and its subsequent molecular recognition of avidin.