A poly(dimethylsiloxane) based prism for surface plasmon resonance imaging system and its application for gas...

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Chemical Sensing
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a powerful optical sensing technique.
• Conventional SPR systems often utilize expensive glass prisms.
• There is a need for cost-effective and efficient SPR prism materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel SPR imaging system utilizing a low-cost poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) prism.
• To compare the performance of the PDMS prism with conventional glass prisms.
• To evaluate the system's capability for gas detection and differentiation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an SPR imaging system with a PDMS prism in close contact with a gold film.
• Numerical simulations and experimental studies to analyze optical properties.
• System repeatability testing using helium and air detection.
• Gas sensing experiments with nitrogen, air, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium.

Main Results:

• The PDMS prism exhibited a deeper, wider absorption peak and a higher coupling angle compared to glass prisms.
• The system demonstrated high repeatability in gas detection.
• The SPR system successfully detected and differentiated five types of gases.
• A high sensitivity of 5 × 10(-6) Refractive Index Unit (RIU) was achieved.

Conclusions:

• A cost-effective and convenient SPR imaging system based on a PDMS prism has been successfully developed.
• The PDMS prism offers distinct optical advantages over traditional glass prisms for SPR applications.
• The developed system shows significant potential for sensitive and selective gas sensing.