Development of a High-Sensitivity Multimode Graphene-Based Metamaterial Biosensor with a Double-Split Elliptical Resonator for Refractive Index Sensing and Biomedical Applications

Development of a High-Sensitivity Multimode Graphene-Based Metamaterial Biosensor with a Double-Split Elliptical Resonator for Refractive Index Sensing and Biomedical Applications | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Development of a High-Sensitivity Multimode Graphene-Based Metamaterial Biosensor with a Double-Split Elliptical Resonator for Refractive Index Sensing and Biomedical Applications Maryam Ghodrati, Akram Sheikhi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7550455/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper presents a high-sensitivity, multimode graphene-based metamaterial (MM) biosensor for refractive index sensing, utilizing a periodic array of gold (Au) double-split elliptical resonators (DSERs) on a graphene-coated silicon dioxide (SiO₂) substrate with an Au base layer. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations confirm that the double-split elliptical design enhances field confinement and supports the excitation of multiple distinct resonance modes, offering an improvement over traditional circular or rectangular resonators. The sensor operates within the 650–1500 nm reflection range, supporting five distinct resonance modes that provide multiple sensing pathways, thereby improving detection efficiency compared to standard single-mode plasmonic sensors. Optimal performance is achieved by precisely tuning critical structural parameters, such as the thickness of the gold array and the SiO₂ layer, as well as the resonator width. According to the results, the proposed design is sensitive to the surrounding medium and can be used as a refractive index sensor. This sensing mechanism can be applied in a wide range of biomedical applications, including the differentiation between normal and cancerous cells. In the proposed design, three types of cancerous cells (basal, breast, and cervical) are used as test samples to evaluate the biosensor’s performance. The results show that the biosensor outperforms many existing designs reported in the literature. Specifically, for breast cancer cells, it achieves a maximum sensitivity of 714.28 nm/RIU, a figure of merit (FoM) of 51.02 1/RIU, and a quality factor (QF) of 73.42. These findings highlight the potential of the proposed biosensor as a promising candidate for future optical sensing technologies, advanced medical diagnostics, and a wide range of biomedical applications. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology Physical sciences/Optics and photonics Biosensor Graphene Metamaterial Refractive Index Sensitivity Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 26 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 25 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 11 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 10 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 09 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 06 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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