Sergiy Korposh

Nanoassembled thin film gas sensors. III. Sensitive detection of amine odors using TiO2/poly(acrylic acid) ultrathin film quartz crystal microbalance sensors.

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) gas sensors based on the alternate adsorption of TiO(2) and polyacrilic acid (PAA) were developed for the sensitive detection of amine odors. Individual TiO(2) gel layers could be regularly assembled with a thickness of approximately 0.3 nm by the gas-phase surface sol-gel process (GSSG). The thickness of the poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) layer is dependent on its molecular weight, showing different thicknesses of approximately 0.4 nm for PAA(25) (Mw 250,000) and 0.6-0.8 nm for PAA(400) (Mw 4,000,000). The QCM sensors showed a linear response to ammonia in the concentration range 0.3-15 ppm, depending on the deposition cycle of the alternate TiO(2)/PAA layer. The ammonia binding is based on the acid-base interaction to the free carboxylic acid groups of PAA and the limit of detection (LOD) of the 20-cycle TiO(2)/PAA(400) film was estimated to be 0.1 ppm when exposed to ammonia. The sensor response was very fast and stable in a wide relative humidity (rH) range of 30-70%, showing almost the same frequency changes at a given concentration of ammonia. Sensitivity to n-butylamine and ammonia was higher than to pyridine, which is owing to the difference of molecular weight and basicity of the amine analytes. The alternate TiO(2)/PAA(400) films have a highly effective ability to capture amine odors, and the ambient ammonia concentration of 15 ppm could be condensed up to approximately 20,000 ppm inside the films.

Fiber optic long period grating sensors with a nanoassembled mesoporous film of SiO 2 nanoparticles

A novel approach to chemical application of long period grating (LPG) optical fibers was demonstrated, which were modified with a film nanoassembled by the alternate deposition of SiO(2) nanoparticles (SiO(2) NPs) and poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA). Nanopores of the sensor film could be used for sensitive adsorption of chemical species in water, which induced the changes in the refractive index (RI) of the light propagating in the cladding mode of the optical fiber, with a concomitant effect on the transmission spectrum in the LPG region. The prepared fiber sensor was highly sensitive to the change in the RI of the surrounding medium and the response time was very fast within 10 s. In addition, chemical infusion into the film was tested using a porphyrin compound, tetrakis-(4-sulfophenyl)porphine (TSPP), which could be saturated within a few min. The lowest detectable concentration of the TSPP analyte was 10 microM. The TSPP infusion led to the development of well-pronounced dual resonance bands, indicating a large increase in the optical thickness of the film. The RI of the film was dramatically increased from 1.200 to ca. 1.540.

Refractive index sensitivity of fibre-optic long period gratings coated with SiO2 nanoparticle mesoporous thin films

A fibre-optic refractive index sensor based on a long period grating (LPG) with a nanoassembled mesoporous coating of alternate layers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and SiO2 nanospheres was demonstrated. PAH/SiO2 coatings of different thicknesses were deposited onto an LPG operating near its phase matching turning point in order to study the effect of the film thickness and porosity on sensor performance. Three aqueous solutions of ethanol, glucose and sucrose of different concentrations were used to allow characterization of the refractive index (RI) over a wide RI range (1.3330?1.4906). The device showed a high sensitivity (1927 nm/refractive index unit) to RI changes with a response time less than 2 s. In particular, the current study suggested that the low RI of the mesoporous film, 1.20 at 633 nm, facilitates the measurement of external indices higher than that of the cladding, extending the range of operation of LPG-based RI sensors. The ability of this device to monitor, in real time, RI changes during a dilution process is demonstrated and discussed.

Selective vancomycin detection using optical fibre long period gratings functionalised with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles

An optical fibre long period grating (LPG) sensor modified with molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) for the specific detection of antibiotics is presented. The operation of the sensor is based on the measurement of changes in refractive index induced by the interaction of nanoMIPs deposited onto the cladding of the LPG with free vancomycin (VA). The binding of nanoMIPs to vancomycin was characterised by a binding constant of 4.3 ± 0.1 × 10(-8) M. The lowest concentration of analyte measured by the fibre sensor was 10 nM. In addition, the sensor exhibited selectivity, as much smaller responses were obtained for high concentrations (∼700 μM) of other commonly prescribed antibiotics such as amoxicillin, bleomycin and gentamicin. In addition, the response of the sensor was characterised in a complex matrix, porcine plasma, spiked with 10 μM of VA.

Films based on bacteriorhodopsin in sol-gel matrices

The bacteriorhodopsin film in gelatin matrixes which are used as sensitive elements of integrated optic and fibre-optic sensors of various vapor and gases components will not be able to carry out the chemical control of aqueous solutions. In the given paper the results of technological development of obtaining the bacteriorhodopsin (bR) films in a sol-gel matrix are represented. The films are obtained in a broad thickness range (from 0.5 to 20 microns) with various bR concentrations and photosensitize additives. The optimal technological conditions of obtaining of uniform films with given optical parameters are defined. The surface morphology and cross section of the obtained films was studied using an AFM and SEM. The films have a reasonable surface roughness (~ 100 nm) and a uniform distribution of the purple membrane fragments in the nanostructured sol-gel glass matrix along the films surface and thickness. The transmission spectrums have the characteristic for bR the absorption band, the value of which depends on bR concentration and technological features of the films deposition. The investigated photosensitive properties of the obtained films and influence on them of chemical components of aqueous solutions, allow recommending the thin bR films in sol-gel matrixes for creation of planar waveguides in the role of components of the chemical sensors of liquid solutions.

Multi-parameter measurements using optical fibre long period gratings for indoor air quality monitoring

An array of three long period gratings (LPGs) fabricated in a single optical fibre and multiplexed in the wavelength domain was used to measure simultaneously temperature, relative humidity (RH) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Each LPG sensor was designed to optimize its response to a desired measurand. The LPGs were fabricated with periods such that they operated at or near the phase matching turning point. The sensors were calibrated in the laboratory and the simultaneous measurement of the key indoor air quality parameters was undertaken in laboratory and office environments. It was demonstrated successfully that the data produced by the LPG sensor array under real conditions was in a good agreement with that produced by commercially available sensors. Further, the potential application of fibre optic sensors for VOCs detection at high levels has been demonstrated.

Optical Gas Sensor Fabrication Based on Porphyrin-Anchored Electrostatic Self-Assembly onto Tapered Optical Fibers

Tapered optical fibers with nano-assembled coatings of thicknesses of order tens of nanometres were used for the detection of ammonia gas. The film coating was composed of alternate layers of tetrakis-(4-sulfophenyl) porphine (TSPP) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), which were deposited using the electrostatic self-assembly process (ESA). Exposure of a PAH/TSPP nano-assembled non-adiabatic tapered optical fiber with a waist diameter of 10 µm to ammonia induced significant optical changes in the transmission spectrum of the optical fiber. The fiber optic sensor showed a linear sensitivity to the concentration of ammonia in the range of 10–100 ppm, with response and recovery times less than 100 and 240 sec, respectively. The 3σ limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be ca. 2 ppm.

Fabrication of highly efficient fibre-optic gas sensors using SiO 2 /polymer nanoporous thin films

A highly porous nano-thin film has been deposited on the optical fibre with the aim to develop a fibre-optic gas sensor. The film was composed of alternate layers of poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA) and silica nanoparticles of 40-50 nm in diameter deposited using the electrostatic self assembly process. As a final step of preparation, the coating was infused with the functional compound of tetrakis-(4-sulfophenyl) porphine (TSPP). Exposure of this material to ammonia induces a change in the absorption spectrum, which can be observed in the transmission spectrum of the coated optical fibre. The ammonia sensor shows a linear sensitivity in the concentration range of 0.1-50 ppm and the sensor response and recovery were within 5 min. The sensor was exposed to different chemical compounds in order to study the sensors selectivity.

Volatile Organic Compounds Sensing Using Optical Fibre Long Period Grating with Mesoporous Nano-Scale Coating

A long period grating (LPG) modified with a mesoporous film infused with a calixarene as a functional compound was employed for the detection of individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their mixtures. The mesoporous film consisted of an inorganic part, SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), along with an organic moiety of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) polycation PAH, which was finally infused with the functional compound, p-sulphanato calix[4]arene (CA[4]) or p-sulphanato calix[8]arene (CA[8]). The LPG sensor was designed to operate at the phase matching turning point to provide the highest sensitivity. The sensing mechanism is based on the measurement of the refractive index (RI) change induced by a complex of the VOCs with calixarene. The LPG, modified with a coating of 5 cycles of (SiO2 NPs/PAH) and infused with CA[4] or CA[8], was exposed to chloroform, benzene, toluene and acetone vapours. The British Standards test of the VOCs emissions from material (BS EN ISO 16000-9:2006) was used to test the LPG sensor performance.

Fibre-Optic Chemical Sensor Approaches Based on Nanoassembled Thin Films: A Challenge to Future Sensor Technology

Optical phenomena have been employed extensively by human civilization throughout the centuries for lighting, communication, calculations, observations, etc. and have played a crucial role in industrial development. The applications of the optics increased significantly after the first demonstration of the light guiding phenomenon based on total internal reflection in the 1840s, which was the precursor for the development of modern optical fibres. In modern life, optical fibres found their niche in telecommunications and, more recently, as sensors.