Fiber Optic pH Sensor with Self-Assembled Polymer Multilayer Nanocoatings

Sensors

Li-Yang Shao²  Ming-Jie Yin¹  Hwa-Yaw Tam¹ 

[1] Department of Electrical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong; E-Mails:;Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China

关键词: fiber-optic sensor;    layer-by-layer self-assembly;    multilayer film;    pH sensor;    tilted fiber Bragg grating;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s130201425

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

A fiber-optic pH sensor based on a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) with electrostatic self-assembly multilayer sensing film is presented. The pH sensitive polymeric film, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) was deposited on the circumference of the TFBG with the layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembly technique. The PDDA/PAA film exhibits a reduction in refractive index by swelling in different pH solutions. This effect results in wavelength shifts and transmission changes in the spectrum of the TFBG. The peak amplitude of the dominant spectral fringes over a certain window of the transmission spectrum, obtained by FFT analysis, has a near-linear pH sensitivity of 117 arbitrary unit (a.u.)/pH unit and an accuracy of ±1 a.u. (in the range of pH 4.66 to pH 6.02). The thickness and surface morphology of the sensing multilayer film were characterized to investigate their effects on the sensor's performance. The dynamic response of the sensor also has been studied (10 s rise time and 18 s fall time for a sensor with six bilayers of PDDA/PAA).

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.