Dual-channel fiber surface plasmon resonance biological sensor based on a hybrid interrogation of intensity and wavelength modulation

Optical fiber biosensors toward in vivo detection

This review takes stock of the various optical fiber-based biosensors that could be used for in vivo applications. We discuss the characteristics that biosensors must have to be suitable for such applications and the corresponding transduction modes. In particular, we focus on optical fiber biosensors based on fluorescence, evanescent wave, plasmonics, interferometry, and Raman phenomenon. The operational principles, implemented solutions, and performances are described and debated. The different sensing configurations, such as the side- and tip-based fiber biosensors, are illustrated, and their adaptation for in vivo measurements is discussed. The required implementation of multiplexed biosensing on optical fibers is shown. In particular, the use of multi-fiber assemblies, one of the most optimal configurations for multiplexed detection, is discussed. Different possibilities for multiple localized functionalizations on optical fibers are presented. A final section is devoted to the practical in vivo use of fiber-based biosensors, covering regulatory, sterilization, and packaging aspects. Finally, the trends and required improvements in this promising and emerging field are analyzed and discussed.

An in-fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of cholesterol concentration and temperature based on SPR and MMI

In this paper, we design an in-fiber two-parameter sensor with multimode fiber (MMF)-Au film coated hollow fiber (HCF)-MMF structure, which can simultaneously excite Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect and Multimode Interference (MMI) effect. A composite material of Au nanoparticles/β-cyclodextrin (AuNPs/β-CD) is deposited on the surface of the Au film coated HCF to realize highly-sensitive measurement of cholesterol concentration. Here, the AuNPs can not only enhance the measurement sensitivity of the SPR sensor, but also increase the numbers of combination sites of β-CD and cholesterol. Then, to solve the cross-sensitivity problem between temperature and cholesterol, the glycerin is selected as a temperature-sensitive material to fill into the inner channel of the HCF, making the MMI sensor sensitive to temperature, and finally realizing the simultaneous measurement of cholesterol concentration and temperature. The experimental results demonstrate that the wavelength shift of the SPR and the MMI are 12.7 nm and 7.9 nm, respectively, when the cholesterol concentration changes from 0 to 500 nM. The temperature sensitivity of the SPR and the MMI are -0.9 nm/°C and 2.64 nm/°C, respectively, in the temperature range of 30°C-46 °C. In addition, the sensor shows good recognition ability of cholesterol molecules in serum environment, with good stability, selectivity and repeatability, and has broad application prospects in the biomedical field.

Trends in the Implementation of Advanced Plasmonic Materials in Optical Fiber Sensors (2010–2020)

In recent years, the interaction between light and metallic films have been proven to be a highly powerful tool for optical sensing applications. We have witnessed the development of highly sensitive commercial devices based on Surface Plasmon Resonances. There has been continuous effort to integrate this plasmonic sensing technology using micro and nanofabrication techniques with the optical fiber sensor world, trying to get better, smaller and cost-effective high performance sensing solutions. In this work, we present a review of the latest and more relevant scientific contributions to the optical fiber sensors field using plasmonic materials over the last decade. The combination of optical fiber technology with metallic micro and nanostructures that allow plasmonic interactions have opened a complete new and promising field of study. We review the main advances in the integration of such metallic micro/nanostructures onto the optical fibers, discuss the most promising fabrication techniques and show the new trends in physical, chemical and biological sensing applications.

Fluoride Fiber-Based Plasmonic Biosensor with Two-Dimensional Material Heterostructures: Enhancement of Overall Figure-of-Merit via Optimization of Radiation Damping in Near Infrared Region

Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure materials show captivating properties for application in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors. A fluoride fiber-based SPR sensor is proposed and simulated with the inclusion of a 2D heterostructure as the analyte interacting layer. The monolayers of two 2D heterostructures (BlueP/MoS2 and BlueP/WS2, respectively) are considered in near infrared (NIR). In NIR, an HBL (62HfF4-33BaF2-5LaF3) fluoride glass core and NaF clad are considered. The emphasis is placed on figure of merit (FOM) enhancement via optimization of radiation damping through simultaneous tuning of Ag thickness (dm) and NIR wavelength (λ) at the Ag-2D heterostructure-analyte interfaces. Field distribution analysis is performed in order to understand the interaction of NIR signal with analyte at optimum radiation damping (ORD) condition. While the ORD leads to significantly larger FOM for both, the BlueP/MoS2 (FOM = 19179.69 RIU-1 (RIU: refractive index unit) at dm = 38.2 nm and λ = 813.4 nm)-based sensor shows massively larger FOM compared with the BlueP/WS2 (FOM = 7371.30 RIU-1 at dm = 38.2 nm and λ = 811.2 nm)-based sensor. The overall sensing performance was more methodically evaluated in terms of the low degree of photodamage of the analyte, low signal scattering, high power loss, and large field variation. The BlueP/MoS2-based fiber SPR sensor under ORD conditions opens up new paths for biosensing with highly enhanced overall performance.

Dual channel multilayer-coated surface plasmon resonance sensor for dual refractive index range measurements

We present a novel multilayer-coated surface plasmon resonance sensor for dual refractive index range measurements based on a capillary structure. The sensing elements include an internally coated Ag layer and an externally coated bilayer of Au with an overlayer of thin indium tin oxide (ITO). The internal Ag layer was sensitive to higher refractive index (RI) medium while the external Au/ITO layer was sensitive to lower refractive index medium. We evaluated the sensor performance by measuring RI changes in two channels, RI sensitivities were -1951 nm/RIU and 2496 nm/RIU, respectively. This compact, low-cost large RI detection range SPR sensor offers the possibility for wider RI detection range and highly sensitive SPR studies in industry and chemical sensing.