Abstract
We present optimization results on the design of a polymer optical fiber single point sensor suitable for photoluminescence-based sensing. The single point sensing design consists of one or two annular cavities, separated by a small distance, milled into the fiber and subsequently filled with a thick solution of polymer, solvent, and photoluminescent molecules, which is then allowed to dry. The design is tested by varying the depth and length of a single cavity and utilizing two cavities with varying separations. Results from experiments show a maximum response at a separation of 2 mm for which we present an analytical explanation. A geometrical, numerical simulation model, taking into account both skew and meridional rays, is developed and shows very good agreement with the experimental results. The fiber design presents a general platform that has the potential for the fabrication of multi-point photoluminescent sensors, for which it is necessary to have several points along the fiber functionalized for sensing. Furthermore, the approach with polymer fibers and polymer sensing gels allows for a robust integration of the sensing matrix and the optical fiber, more so than is possible using glass optical fibers.
Highlights
The photoluminescence-based optical detection of various compounds has been around for approximately a century
The results clearly show an increase in the photoluminescence signal with increasing depth
We assume that optical rays exist for all angles less than or equal to the complementary angle to the critical angle for Total Internal Reflection (TIR); this angle we will call the polar angle, θ
Summary
The photoluminescence-based optical detection of various compounds has been around for approximately a century. The fluorescence microscope is probably the first application of photoluminescence in an analytical sense since its invention in the early 1910s by Heimstadt and Reichert [1]. 20th Century, but still found useful applications in other areas than microscopy, such as the detection of uranium [2], spores [3], oxygen [4,5], and more. In the early 1940s, Coons et al developed the technique of using fluorescent antibodies [6], and some of the first applications were in the detection of diseases and bacteria [7,8]. Other designs are based on the use of optical fibers in conjunction with photoluminescent compounds [10,11,12]
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