The rapid growth of nanotechnology and spectroscopic techniques has accelerated the development of biosensors with high sensitivity and selectivity. Nanoscale metasurfaces can potentially overcome the limitations of conventional optical methods, such as low responsivity and molecular specificity. One promising approach for analyzing subtle biochemical changes that occur in complex biological phenomena is to use terahertz metasurfaces. Here, the aim is to develop a dual-selective terahertz nanodisc metasurface that enabled precise monitoring of neurotransmitter dynamics in a biomimetic environment. Utilizing functionalized terahertz metasurfaces with nanodisc that mimic biosensory receptors, a biosensor selective for both molecular type and resonant frequency is developed. The sensing platform ensures significantly enhanced sensitivity and specificity by recognizing the intermolecular changes associated with serotonin-nanodisc binding and aqueous surrounding effects. The proposed biosensor can potentially provide an efficient tool for studying complex biochemical interactions, and find application in biomedical diagnostics and neuroscience research.

Exploring Neurotransmitter Dynamics Optical investigation of molecular dynamics occurring within the biomimetic human biosensor system, especially under water environment, has been regarded as a challenging area of study. Based on the great advantage of spectral capabilities of terahertz spectroscopic tools, a unique biosensing platform has been proposed assisted by nanodisc-hybridized nanoscale metasurfaces. The sensing capability was determined to enable the receptor-ligand interactions occurring at optical hotspots, where the terahertz field was strongly localized and greatly enhanced, and controlled by targeting specific frequency of the metasurface. More details can be found in article number 2504858 by Hyun Seok Song, Minah Seo, and co-workers.