Fluorescence Studies of the Interplay between Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence and Graphene-Induced Quenching

Fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy were applied for studying the optical properties of a hybrid nanostructure, in which we combine plasmon-induced metal enhanced fluorescence with energy transfer to epitaxial graphene. Covering the layer of silver islands with a monolayer graphene, while turning on the efficient energy transfer from emitters, only moderately affects the enhancement of fluorescence attributed to the plasmon resonance in metallic nanostructures—as evidenced by the analysis of fluorescence decays. The results show that it is feasible to combine the properties of graphene with metal-enhanced fluorescence. The importance of the layer thickness of the emitters is also pointed out.