Advanced multimode plasmonic refractive index sensor based on zinc nanoparticles for selective detection of garlic (Allium sativum)
摘要
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber sensors are widely used in chemical and biological detection, but the common sensing structures usually have low sensitivity and broad SPR width, which decreases the detection accuracy. To detect the refractive index (RI) of zinc nanoparticle (ZnNP) solutions that include garlic samples, an SPR sensor using a 60 μm-diameter tapered multimode fiber (MMF) is demonstrated. The sensing area is a 40 nm Ag/Au metal bi-layer deposited on a 4 cm-long probe. Response of the evanescent field in contact with the ZnNP solution enhances plasmonic coupling at metal–dielectric interface and values. A performance of the sensor is analyzed with variating refractive index and sample’s concentrations. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimal sensitivity was up to 6000 nm/RIU in the range of refractive index from 1.34 to 1.35. It is shown that the new design has good resonant properties and detection sensitivity, which could work as chemical sensor.