This comprehensive review summarizes the past, present, and future of plasmonic NP-based sensors in terms of different sensing platforms, different chemical and biological analytes, and the expected future technologies.

Assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles enable new modalities for biosensing. Engineered superstructures from metal nanoparticles can enhance the plasmon resonances and chiroptical activity of nanoscale dispersions. Such phenomena are keys to the fabrication of highly sensitive, selective and fast-responding detection platforms, making them promising candidates for clinical applications. This tutorial review summarizes and discusses recent advances in this area. The topics covered in the review include the basic strategies adopted for assembly and engineering of plasmonic nanoparticles, optical properties of the assembled nanostructures and their applications to both in vitro and in vivo detection of biological compounds. We also offer our vision of the future prospects of this field of research. Among emerging applications in this area are novel nanosensors and platforms, for food safety, environmental monitoring, health safeguarding, as well as biodefense.

Two difluoro-boron β-diketonate complexes bearing chiral amido groups have been synthesized. Their mechano-responsive luminescence and chiroptical properties have been investigated in the solid state. Both compounds display a bright blue-green emission and a significant circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) signal in the crystalline state, with |g_lum| values as high as 2.2–2.4 × 10⁻². A bathochromic shift in emission, together with a decrease of |g_lum| values to c.a. 3 × 10⁻³, is induced upon application of a shearing stress. For the DFB-Hex-amide compound, interestingly, sign inversion of the anisotropy factor g_lum is observed under mechanical stimulation (“mechano-CPL effect”), which can be rationalized by a switching between monomer and excimer emission.

Chiral copper clusters displaying good luminescence and extended lifetimes were synthesised. Enantiomerically pure clusters capped using l - and d -isomers of the ligand displayed mirror image circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence.