Sensitivity analysis for detecting chemicals by the optical chemical sensor based Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) in the Terahertz (THz) regime

This research article demonstrates a good simulation result for identifying and detecting various industrial chemicals in a Terahertz (THz) waveguide with a new heptagonal, five layers of heptagonal photonic fiber elliptic form, heptagonal clading shape (H-PCF). COMSOL 4.2 software based on finite element (FEM) methods and perfectly matched layers check our composition (PML). The different chemicals are also differentiated and identified by each other in different parameters H-PCF fibers show a high relative sensitivity of ethanol of approximately 86.50 percent after numerical analysis, Benzene around 89.35%, and water around 85.15% at a frequency of around 0.7 THz. In our experiment, we obtained very low confinement losses at 1 terahertz (THz) such as 5.95×10−08 dB/m for Ethanol 6.67×10−08 dB/m for Benzene, and 5.80×10−08 dB/m for water. Regarding these results, we can strongly recommend that our proposed heptagonal photonic crystal fiber (H-PCF) will be more congenial in biomedical, bio-medicine, and industrial areas for the identification and detection of various types of chemicals with the help of a THz waveguide.

Optical Chemical Sensor Based on 2,2-Furildioxime in Sol-Gel Matrix for Determination of Ni2+ in Water

A new optical chemical sensor was fabricated based on incorporation of 2,2-furildioxime as a sensitive reagent into the nanopore of a transparent glasslike material through the sol-gel method which was suitable for determination of Ni2+ ions in aqueous solutions. The prepared sensors were composed of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), 2,2-furildioxime, methanol, hydrochloric acid and Triton X-100. The sensors were constructed by dip coating onto glass substrates. The optimum response of the sensor toward Ni2+ ions was reached at pH 8.5 and the contact time for the formation of the complex at 10 min. The linear concentration of the calibration curve was in the range of 1–5 mg L−1 with a detection limit of 0.111 mg L−1, and quantification limit of 0.337 mg L−1. In addition, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 5% in determination of Ni2+ with ten slide sensor membranes. The developed sensor was tested on Ni2+ determination in real water samples which was confirmed by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer method.

Vertically Coupling ZnO Nanorods onto MoS2 Flakes for Optical Gas Sensing

Hybrid structures composed of layered one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) materials opened new perspectives and opportunities through the build-up of hetero-junctions with versatile layered structures and led to fascinating fundamental phenomena and advanced devices. We succeeded in depositing by magnetron sputtering vertically aligned 1D ZnO nanorods on 2D MoS2 flakes obtained by exfoliation, preserving the structure of the 2D materials. The photoluminescence (PL) optical properties of the hybrid structure were assessed towards developing a contactless optical chemical sensor.

Wireless and mobile optical chemical sensors and biosensors

This review explores the current state-of-the-art wireless and mobile optical chemical sensors and biosensors. The review is organised into three sections, each of which investigates a major class of wireless and/or mobile optical chemical sensor: (i) optical sensors integrated with a radio transmitter/transceiver, (ii) wearable optical sensors, and (iii) smartphone camera-based sensors. In each section, the specific challenges and trade-offs surrounding the (bio)chemical sensing mechanism and material architecture, miniaturisation, integration, power requirements, readout, and sensitivity are explored with detailed examples of sensor systems from the literature. The analysis of 77 original research articles published between 2007 and 2017 reveals that healthcare and medicine, environmental monitoring, food quality, and sport and fitness are the target markets for wireless and mobile optical chemical sensor systems. In particular, the current trend for personal fitness tracking is driving research into novel colourimetric wearable sensors with smartphone readout. We conclude that despite the challenges, mobile and wearable optical chemical sensor systems are set to play a major role in the sensor Internet of Things.