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. 2024 Jul 11;24(14):4477.
doi: 10.3390/s24144477.

Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Based on Fe2O3/Au for Alcohol Concentration Detection

Junyi Wang  1 , Yanpei Xu  1 , Yutong Song  1 , Qi Wang  1
Affiliations

Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Based on Fe2O3/Au for Alcohol Concentration Detection

Junyi Wang et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is widely used in sensor sensitization due to its excellent optical properties. In this study, we present a sensitivity-enhanced surface plasmon resonance alcohol sensor based on Fe2O3/Au. We describe the fabrication process of the sensor and characterize its structure. We conduct performance testing on sensors coated multiple times and use solutions with the same gradient of refractive indices as the sensing medium. Within the refractive index range of 1.3335-1.3635, the sensor that was coated twice achieved the highest sensitivity, reaching 2933.2 nm/RIU. This represents a 30.26% enhancement in sensitivity compared to a sensor with a pure gold monolayer film structure. Additionally, we demonstrated the application of this sensor in alcohol concentration detection by testing the alcohol content of common beverages, showing excellent agreement with theoretical values and highlighting the sensor's potential in food testing.

Keywords: FEM simulation; Fe2O3; SPR; alcohol concentration detection; refractive index sensing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Schematic diagram of the sensor fabrication process. (b) Schematic diagram of the sensor structure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
XRD spectrum of the synthesized Fe2O3 compared with the standard spectrum.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a,b) The SEM images of the synthesized Fe2O3; (c) electron micrograph of the synthesized Fe2O3; (d,e) the distributions of O, Fe.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The SPR spectra of the refractive index sensing performance of a device based on a 50 nm Au structure. (a) SPR signals for substances with different refractive indices. (b) Linear fitting of the sensing signals.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Refractive index testing performance diagram of the sensor with a nano Fe2O3/Au structure. (a) Response signals of Fe2O3/Au sensors to different refractive index media under a single spin-coating cycle. (b) Linear fitting of different refractive indices for the Fe2O3/Au sensors under a single spin-coating cycle. (c) Response signals of Fe2O3/Au sensors to different refractive index media under two spin-coating cycles. (d) Linear fitting of different refractive indices for the Fe2O3/Au sensors under two spin-coating cycles. (e) Response signals of Fe2O3/Au sensors to different refractive index media under three spin-coating cycles. (f) Linear fitting of different refractive indices for the Fe2O3/Au sensors under three spin-coating cycles.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Enhanced electric field mode diagram of the sensor.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Resonance wavelength signals over time at different flow rates.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Sensing tests of the sensor on five types of alcoholic beverages.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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