Polypyrrole thin film fiber optic chemical sensor for detection of VOCs

A fiber optic reflectance sensor (FORS) using Polypyrrole (PPy) conducting polymer to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is demonstrated. The conventional interfacial polymerization method is used to synthesize a sensitive polypyrrole membrane, which shows relatively low roughness and high reflectivity. In general the changes in electrical properties of conductive polymers are explored in sensing applications, however their optical properties have been less explored. In the present study, we evaluate the optical properties of PPy and transfer on the end face of polymer optical fiber (POF) for the detection of VOCs. The change in the reflected optical signal from PPy upon interaction with the VOCs is systematically evaluated. The fabricated PPy FORS shows the excellent sensitivity to the VOCs under test with the detection limit up to 1 ppm. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.