Simulation of a surface plasmon resonance-based fiber-optic sensor for gas sensing in visible range using films of nanocomposites

A surface plasmon resonance-based fiber-optic sensor coated with nanocomposite film for sensing small concentrations of gases in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum has been analyzed. The nanocomposites considered are nanoparticles of Ag, Au and indium tin oxide (ITO) with their varying fraction dispersed in the host dielectric matrix of WO3, SnO2 and TiO2. For analysis, the effective indices of nanocomposites are calculated by adopting the Maxwell-Garnett model for nanoparticles of dimensions much smaller than the wavelength of radiation used for investigation. The effects of the volume fraction of nanoparticles in different nanocomposites and the thickness of the nanocomposite layer on the sensitivity of the sensor have been studied. It has been found that the sensor with the ITO-TiO2 coated nanocomposite with a small volume fraction and optimized film thickness possesses higher sensitivity.