ZnO coated evanescent field based fiber optic fuel adulteration sensor

Abstract

The combination of optical fibers with metal oxide film deposition offers unique and great opportunities to realize novel sensors. This work presents hydrothermally deposited zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods optical fiber sensor for measuring the level of adulteration in fuels. The presence of kerosene in petrol and diesel alters the refractive index (RI) of adulterated fuel; therefore, optical fiber sensors are capable of measuring RI used for adulteration detection. The proposed fiber sensor's highest average sensitivities obtained for petrol and diesel adulteration are 0.126 dB/% and 0.089 dB/%, respectively in the kerosene concentration range of 0-30%.