Recent advances of optical fiber biosensors based on surface plasmon resonance: sensing principles, structures, and prospects

Optical fiber biosensors based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon are generating increasing interest due to their capability of real-time monitoring of analytes in a biocompatible, label-free, stable, and cost-effective manner. In fact, SPR optical fiber biosensors are becoming very popular in environmental science, clinical diagnosis, disease detection, and food safety. This review provides a comprehensive overview of optical fiber biosensors that utilize SPR. The principles and recent developments of optical fiber sensors are described. Different SPR optical fiber biosensors, including traditional optical fiber SPR biosensors, microstructured optical fiber (MOF) biosensors, grating-assisted plasmon fiber SPR biosensors, and others, are reviewed and the capabilities of common biosensors are compared. This overview aims to provide guidance for future research and development of this important and burgeoning field.