Hollow fibers integrated with single walled carbon nanotubes: Bandgap modification and chemical sensing capability

In this work, we report on the integration between hollow-core optical fibers (HOF) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for the development of novel opto-chemical sensors for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection. Here, sensing probes were obtained by coating and partially filling the termination of HOFs by multiple SWCNTs monolayers. The infiltration of SWCNTs inside the HOF holes has been accomplished by means of the Langmuir–Blodgett deposition technique. Reflectance and far field transmission characterizations have been carried out within the HOF bandwidth in order to study the influence of the carbon nanotubes on the HOF photonic bandgap. Finally the sensing capability of the proposed sensors has been proved by exposure to VOCs traces. Experimental results demonstrate the success of the SWCNTs partial filling within the HOF holes and the sensor capability to perform VOCs detection with a good sensitivity and fast response times.