Fibre optic chemical sensors based on evanescent wave interactions in sol-gel-derived porous coatings

A simple, low-cost technique for fabricating reagent-mediated fibre-optic chemical sensors (optrodes) is described and the performance of a range of such sensors is reported. The technique is based on coating an unclad portion of an optical fibre with a microporous glass film prepared by the sol-gel process. Although tip- and side-coating are both possible with this technique, the latter, which employs evanescent wave interactions, offers particular advantages in terms of sensor performance, control of sensitivity and quality of coating. The sol-gel-derived film is used to provide a robust support matrix in which analyte-sensitive dyes are entrapped and into which smaller analyte molecules may diffuse. The benefits of this sol-gel approach to sensor fabrication are illustrated by results from a range of sensors for pH, ammonia and oxygen based on both evanescent wave absorption and evanescent wave excitation of fluorescence.