All-LCP Terahertz Metasensor with Dual Quasi-BIC Resonances for Dual-Range Refractive Index Sensing

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Authors: Yan Zhang, Mengya Pan, Qiankai Hong, Shengyuan Shen, Conghui Guo, Y H Li, Yanpeng Shi, Yifei Zhang
Cited by: 1
References: 51

Abstract

Terahertz (THz) metasurface biosensors still encounter difficulties in simultaneously achieving high spectral resolution and stable readout across different refractive-index regimes. In this work, an all-liquid-crystal-polymer (LCP) THz metasensor supporting dual quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BIC) resonances is proposed for regime-dependent refractive-index sensing. By introducing structural asymmetry into a periodic LCP cubic-cluster metasurface, two pronounced resonances are generated with quality factors (Q factors) of 6811 and 2526, respectively. Near-field distributions and multipole decomposition analysis indicate that the two resonances possess distinct electromagnetic features, which result in different responses to surrounding dielectric perturbations. In the low-refractive-index range of 1.0-1.5, the two resonance frequencies exhibit a linear variation with refractive index, yielding sensitivities of 122 GHz/RIU and 179 GHz/RIU, respectively. These dual-mode linear responses further offer a foundation for concentration- and temperature-related evaluation through analyte refractive-index mapping. In the higher-refractive-index range of 1.5-1.8, the intermodal frequency difference shows improved linearity with refractive index compared with the individual resonance frequencies, enabling a differential readout scheme with enhanced robustness against common perturbations. The results demonstrate that the proposed all-LCP dual-quasi-BIC metasensor not only enables high-resolution THz refractive-index sensing, but also establishes a regime-dependent spectral readout approach for different dielectric-response intervals.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research Terahertz technology and applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Biosensors
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
16
Issue
4
Pages
221–221
Publication date
15 April 2026
Language
EN