Design and Analysis of an SPR Sensor Based on Antimonene and Platinum for the Detection of Formalin

Detection of formalin to prevent food adulteration, especially in tropical countries, is of primary concern for public health issues. Life-threatening diseases such as leukaemia and lymphoma occur due to the regular consumption of formalin with food. Traditionally, spectrophotometry and chromatography-based sensors have been employed to detect formalin, which have limitations related to their ability to achieve high sensitivity, selectivity, and fast response. In this paper, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor for improved sensing of formalin is proposed. The Kretschmann configured SPR sensor probe is designed using silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), antimonene, and chitosan, which increases the sensitivity and selectivity. The maximum sensitivity achieved for the proposed SPR sensor is 206.86 & DEG;/RIU. The distribution of the electric field (Ey) component of the electric field is also evaluated to analyze the field enhancement at different layer interfaces and to calculate the penetration depth (176.75 nm).

Automated summary

Detection of formalin to prevent food adulteration, especially in tropical countries, is a major concern for public health issues. Traditional methods like spectrophotometry and chromatography-based sensors have limitations in achieving high sensitivity, selectivity, and fast response. This study proposes a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor using silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), antimonene, and chitosan to improve the sensing of formalin, resulting in increased sensitivity and selectivity. The maximum sensitivity achieved is 206.86 RIU, and the penetration depth is calculated to be 176.75 nm by analyzing the distribution of the electric field.