MSc Thesis Defense: Fahd Khalid-Salako, THE DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT OF A NANOPLASMONIC METAL-INSULATOR-METAL METASURFACE FOR SERS-BASED DETECTION OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD, Date & Time: 03 July, 2026 – 3:30 PM, Place: FENS L027
THE DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT OF A NANOPLASMONIC METAL-INSULATOR-METAL METASURFACE FOR SERS-BASED DETECTION OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN FOOD
Fahd Khalid-Salako
Materials Science and Nano Engineering, MSc Thesis, 2026
Thesis Jury
Assoc. Prof. Meral Yüce Kurt (Thesis Advisor)
Prof. Burcu Saner Okan
Asst. Prof. İslam Boğaçhan Tahirbegi
Date & Time: 3rd July, 2026 – 3:30 PM
Place: FENS L027
Keywords : Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS),
Metal–Insulator–Metal (MIM) metasurfaces, Gold Nanotriangle Array (NTA),
Pesticide detection, Food safety
Abstract
In-line monitoring of pesticide residues is critical in modern agriculture due to their implications for human health, environmental sustainability, and regulatory compliance. Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) enables label-free molecular fingerprinting with miniaturizable and scalable components; however, its wider adoption remains constrained by substrate reproducibility and matrix-dependent variability. This thesis reports the design, development, and evaluation of a novel plasmonic Nanotriangle Array (NTA) Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) metasurface for SERS detection of pesticide residues in food. The metasurface harnesses light-coupling electron oscillations confined to plasmonic hotspots on the metasurface (Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance – LSPR), which enhance the Raman scattering efficiency in the nearfield. The NTA featuring dual tip-to-tip and back-to-back-configured Au nanotriangles were fabricated atop an Al/SiO2 stack by Electron beam lithography (EBL). Morphological, crystallographic, elemental, and optical characterization studies confirmed fabrication fidelity, while comprehensive SERS performance parameterization was conducted with standard Raman probe molecules, and reference chemical contaminant analytes within aqueous and complex food matrices.