Fig. 1.
a Illustrative scheme of an optical biosensor system based on the evanescent field sensing mechanism: light is coupled to the transducer surface generating an electromagnetic field that penetrates evanescently into the dielectric medium where the biological interaction takes place. The biointeraction changes the refractive index of the medium, which is translated in variations of certain optical properties of the output light (intensity, wavelength, etc.). b Main optimization parameters in sensor surface biofunctionalization: bioreceptor orientation (top), grafting density (middle), and antifouling coating (bottom)