Multi-analyte optical chemical sensor employing a plastic substrate

A dual-analyte optical chemical sensor platform based on the surface patterning of fluorescent dyes immobilized in sol-gel thin films is demonstrated as a proof of principle for a potential multi-analyte detection system with implications for lab-on-a-chip technology. A combination of hot embossing and an eccentric spin-coating technique was used to achieve discrete deposition of oxygen and carbon dioxide sensitive zones on a single waveguiding platform. Imaging of fluorescence from the oxygen and carbon dioxide sensing areas was performed using a low-cost CCD camera and fluorescence quenching on analyte exposure was characterized.