Polymeric Fibre Optic Sensor based on a SiO2 nanoparticle film for humidity sensing on wounds

Optical fibre sensors have the potential to be incorporated into wound dressings to monitor moisture and predict healing without the need to remove the dressing. A low cost polymeric optical fibre humidity sensor based on evanescent wave absorption is demonstrated for skin humidity measurement. The sensor is fabricated by coating the fibre with a hydrophilic film based on bilayers of Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and SiO2 mesoporous nanoparticles. The Layer-by-Layer method was used for the deposition of the layers. Multimode polymeric optical fibre with a cladding diameter of 250 mu m was covered by 7 layers of PAH/SiO2 film on the central region of an unclad fibre with a diameter of 190 mu m. The length of the sensitive region is 30mm. Experiment results show a decrease in light intensity when relative humidity increases due to refractive index changes of the fibre coating. The sensitivity obtained was 200mV/%RH and the sensor was demonstrated to provide a faster response to changes in the humidity of the skin microenvironment than a commercial sensor.