Biomolecular Sensing in Hybrid Chiral/Hyperbolic Metastructures

In recent years, the biomolecular recognition of proteins and genetic fragments such as DNA and RNA is attracting a great deal of attention in the development of diagnostic protocols for infectious and tumor diseases. The intrinsic chirality of matter has always represented an interesting challenge in the design of nanomaterials and metastructures capable of controlling the chiral light–chiral matter interaction.In this chapter, we discuss how optical chirality can be used to enhance the chiral response of biomolecules in the near field through the use of superchiral fields. In addition, the interface between a chiral metasurface and a hyperbolic metamaterial can provide both high specificity and sensitivity for biomolecules characterized by low molecular weight and specific handedness.