Fiber optic surface-plasmon-resonance-based highly sensitive arsenic sensor prepared using α-Fe₂O₃/SnO₂ core-shell...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Arsenic (III) contamination poses significant health risks.
• Developing sensitive and selective detection methods is crucial.
• Fiber optic sensors offer advantages for real-time monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based fiber optic sensor for arsenic (III) detection.
• To utilize α-Fe2O3/SnO2 core-shell nanostructures for enhanced sensing performance.
• To investigate the sensor's performance, including sensitivity, selectivity, and limit of detection.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of α-Fe2O3/SnO2 core-shell nanostructures using hydrolysis.
• Morphological characterization using transmission electron microscopy.
• Fabrication of the SPR-based fiber optic probe and performance evaluation for As (III) detection.

Main Results:

• The synthesized α-Fe2O3/SnO2 core-shell nanostructures exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity for As (III).
• The optimized sensor achieved a limit of detection of 0.47 μg/L for As (III).
• The sensor demonstrated real-time detection, remote sensing, and online monitoring capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The novel SPR-based fiber optic sensor utilizing α-Fe2O3/SnO2 nanostructures is effective for sensitive and selective As (III) detection.
• The sensor's advantages make it suitable for industrial applications requiring real-time and remote monitoring.
• Further investigation into interferant effects confirmed the sensor's robustness.