An Optical Fiber Sensor System for Uranium Detection in Water

Abstract

: A simple to realize optical fiber sensor specific for uranium(VI) detection in water is reported to demonstrate the sensing approach’s capability to determine uranyl (UO 2 2+ ) in water solution in the ppb range. The proposed sensor was obtained by combining a specific receptor layer for uranium to a gold thin film at which the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon takes place via optical fiber. In particular, an SPR D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF) probe was used for signal transduction. The proposed optical-chemical sensing method is attractive because, in principle, it can be applied directly in the field, giving an analytical response in a fast and not overly expensive manner.