International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Prattakorn Metem
International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Chayapol Kulatumyotin
International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Suphavit Thaneerat
International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Noppasin Ajchareeyasoontorn
International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
Waleed S. Mohammed
Center of Research in Optoelectronics, Communication and Control Systems (BU-CROCCS), School of Engineering, Bangkok University, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
Joydeep Dutta
Functional NanoMaterials Group, Department of Applied Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Hannes Alfvéns väg 12, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden
Charusluk Viphavakit
International School of Engineering (ISE), Intelligent Control Automation of Process Systems Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
This work demonstrated a ZnO-coated optical fiber sensor for the detection of a volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarker for diabetes for detecting isopropanol (IPA) markers. A coreless silica fiber (CSF) was connected to a single-mode fiber (SMF) at both ends to achieve a SMF–CSF–SMF structure. CSF is the sensing region where multimode interference (MMI) generates higher light interaction at the interface between the fiber and sensing medium, leading to enhanced sensitivity. Optimization of the CSF length was conducted numerically to attain the highest possible coupling efficiency at the output. Surface functionalization was achieved via hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods directly onto the CSF at low temperatures. The optical fiber-based sensor was successfully fabricated and tested with 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of IPA. The sensor response was recorded using an optical spectrometer and analyzed for sensor sensitivity. The fabricated sensor shows the potential to detect isopropanol with the sensitivity of 0.053 nm/%IPA vapor. Further improvement of the sensor sensitivity and selectivity is also proposed for future work.
