Development of a room-temperature phosphorescence fiber-optic sensor

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are significant environmental pollutants.
• Accurate detection of PAHs in water is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Existing analytical methods may require complex sample preparation or specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new fiber-optic sensor for PAH analysis.
• To assess the sensor's performance for environmentally relevant PAHs.
• To demonstrate the sensor's applicability in real-world water samples.

Main Methods:

• Solid-surface room-temperature phosphorimetry (RTPh) was employed.
• A fiber-optic sensor platform was designed and fabricated.
• Analytical figures of merit, including limits of detection and linearity, were determined.
• The sensor was applied to analyze a contaminated groundwater sample.

Main Results:

• The sensor demonstrated high sensitivity with limits of detection in the nanograms per milliliter range for multiple PAHs.
• Analyzed PAHs included pyrene, benzo[e]pyrene, benzo[ghi]perylene, 1,2:3,4-dibenzanthracene, coronene, and 2,3-benzofluorene.
• The sensor exhibited a fairly linear response, suitable for quantitative analysis.
• Successful identification of pyrene in a contaminated groundwater sample confirmed its practical feasibility.

Conclusions:

• The developed fiber-optic sensor is a promising tool for sensitive and quantitative monitoring of PAHs in aqueous environments.
• The solid-surface RTPh approach offers an efficient alternative for PAH detection.
• The sensor's performance in real samples highlights its potential for environmental surveillance.