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Qiu-Shun Li, Dong Xiang, Zhi-Min Chang

|March 2, 2017

Summary

This study introduces a highly sensitive refractive index (RI) sensor using a TiO2 nanowire array without a metal layer. The novel sensor demonstrates significantly higher sensitivity than traditional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors for chemical and biological detection.

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Area of Science:

Nanotechnology
Optical Sensing
Materials Science

Background:

Refractive index (RI) sensors are crucial for detecting chemical and biological analytes.
Traditional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors often rely on metallic layers and have limitations in sensitivity.
Developing highly sensitive, cost-effective, and easily manufactured RI sensors is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and characterize a novel, highly sensitive RI sensor.
To investigate the RI sensing performance of a TiO2 nanowire array combined with the Kretschmann prism configuration.
To compare the sensitivity of the proposed sensor with conventional SPR sensors.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a TiO2 nanowire array integrated into a Kretschmann prism configuration without a metallic layer.
Experimental measurement of RI sensing performance using varying concentrations of sodium chloride solutions.
Analysis of resonant wavelength shifts in the visible light spectrum in response to RI changes.

Main Results:

A strong linear relationship was observed between resonant wavelength and RI (1.3330 to 1.3546).
The proposed interferometric sensor exhibited significantly higher RI sensitivity compared to SPR sensors.
Transverse magnetic mode achieved a sensitivity of 320,700.93 a.u./RIU (9.55x SPR), and transverse electric mode achieved 4371.76 nm/RIU (1.4x SPR).
Favorable repeatability and advantages like easy manufacturing and low cost were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

The novel TiO2 nanowire array sensor offers superior RI sensitivity and performance.
This metal-free Kretschmann configuration presents a promising platform for advanced biological and chemical sensing applications.
The sensor's high sensitivity, ease of fabrication, and cost-effectiveness make it suitable for various in situ determination tasks.