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An integrated optical Bragg grating refractometer for volatile organic compound detection

An integrated optical Bragg grating refractometer for volatile organic compound detection
An integrated optical Bragg grating refractometer for volatile organic compound detection
We report an integrated optical Bragg grating detector, fabricated using a direct UV-writing approach, that when coated with a thin-film of a hydrophobic siloxane co-polymer can perform as an all-optically accessed detector for hydrocarbon vapour. Upon exposure to a series of organic solvent vapours, both negative and positive Bragg wavelength shifts of differing magnitudes were measured. This was attributed to a combination of swelling and/or hydrocarbon solvent filling the free volume within the polymer film. A quantitative structural property relationship (QSPR) approach was utilised to create a multiple variable linear regression model, built from parameters that chemically described the hydrocarbons and the intermolecular interactions present between the co-polymer and hydrocarbon molecules. The resulting linear regression model indicated that the degree of swelling of the polysiloxane thin film when exposed to vapours of different hydrocarbons was due to the physico-chemical properties of the hydrocarbons and that this was the main causative factor of the measured Bragg wavelength shifts. Furthermore, this linear regression model allows for the prediction of the Bragg wavelength shift that would be measured upon exposure to vapours of another defined hydrocarbon. This detector is intrinsically safe in flammable environments. It includes on-chip thermal compensation, operates at telecoms wavelengths and has a predictable response to a variety of hydrocarbons making it ideal for detection of flammable hydrocarbon vapours in industrial and domestic processes.
0925-4005
1-31
Wales, Dominic J.
c001ff27-d3ac-4d2e-859f-9e963fc0374c
Parker, Richard
b052ca4d-b6c7-4fdd-a2f9-45032f0ff13f
Quainoo, Priscilla
5ca05888-ad02-4949-92d6-07d4fa351a1b
Cooper, Peter
29354b98-c117-4ace-9ca4-1d3ad531485f
Gates, James
b71e31a1-8caa-477e-8556-b64f6cae0dc2
Grossel, Martin
403bf3ff-6364-44e9-ab46-52d84c6f0d56
Smith, Peter G.R.
8979668a-8b7a-4838-9a74-1a7cfc6665f6
Wales, Dominic J.
c001ff27-d3ac-4d2e-859f-9e963fc0374c
Parker, Richard
b052ca4d-b6c7-4fdd-a2f9-45032f0ff13f
Quainoo, Priscilla
5ca05888-ad02-4949-92d6-07d4fa351a1b
Cooper, Peter
29354b98-c117-4ace-9ca4-1d3ad531485f
Gates, James
b71e31a1-8caa-477e-8556-b64f6cae0dc2
Grossel, Martin
403bf3ff-6364-44e9-ab46-52d84c6f0d56
Smith, Peter G.R.
8979668a-8b7a-4838-9a74-1a7cfc6665f6

Wales, Dominic J., Parker, Richard, Quainoo, Priscilla, Cooper, Peter, Gates, James, Grossel, Martin and Smith, Peter G.R. (2016) An integrated optical Bragg grating refractometer for volatile organic compound detection. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 1-31. (doi:10.1016/j.snb.2016.03.150).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We report an integrated optical Bragg grating detector, fabricated using a direct UV-writing approach, that when coated with a thin-film of a hydrophobic siloxane co-polymer can perform as an all-optically accessed detector for hydrocarbon vapour. Upon exposure to a series of organic solvent vapours, both negative and positive Bragg wavelength shifts of differing magnitudes were measured. This was attributed to a combination of swelling and/or hydrocarbon solvent filling the free volume within the polymer film. A quantitative structural property relationship (QSPR) approach was utilised to create a multiple variable linear regression model, built from parameters that chemically described the hydrocarbons and the intermolecular interactions present between the co-polymer and hydrocarbon molecules. The resulting linear regression model indicated that the degree of swelling of the polysiloxane thin film when exposed to vapours of different hydrocarbons was due to the physico-chemical properties of the hydrocarbons and that this was the main causative factor of the measured Bragg wavelength shifts. Furthermore, this linear regression model allows for the prediction of the Bragg wavelength shift that would be measured upon exposure to vapours of another defined hydrocarbon. This detector is intrinsically safe in flammable environments. It includes on-chip thermal compensation, operates at telecoms wavelengths and has a predictable response to a variety of hydrocarbons making it ideal for detection of flammable hydrocarbon vapours in industrial and domestic processes.

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Accepted/In Press date: 28 March 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 April 2016
Organisations: Optoelectronics Research Centre, Chemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 392021
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/392021
ISSN: 0925-4005
PURE UUID: 5d115eca-d8dc-4f49-9007-b524792ea320
ORCID for James Gates: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8671-5987
ORCID for Martin Grossel: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7469-6854
ORCID for Peter G.R. Smith: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0319-718X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 13 Apr 2016 14:33
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:08

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Contributors

Author: Dominic J. Wales
Author: Richard Parker
Author: Priscilla Quainoo
Author: Peter Cooper
Author: James Gates ORCID iD
Author: Martin Grossel ORCID iD

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