Optical fiber calcium ion sensor: development and testing

Abstract

An optical fiber calcium ion sensor is developed through the exploitation of the natural selectivity of the Ca+2 binding properties of the fluorescent probe Calcium Orange (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR). A multi-mode optical fiber is used to detect calcium in solution. There is a two and a half fold increase observed between a 1 mM EGTA + buffer solution and a 1 mM Ca2+ solution. A variety of different methods of attaching the molecular probe to the end of the fiber are explored.