Au nanoparticle-incorporated plasmonic nanocomposite films for high-temperature sensing

Functional sensing materials with desirable responses to a particular quantity of interest can be an enabling technology for successful development of sensors that can be deployed in a wide variety of applications. Au nanoparticleincorporated metal oxide-based sensing layers have recently shown significant promise as optical sensing layers for high temperatures and harsh environments relevant for fossil-and nuclear-based power generation, aviation/ aerospace applications and industrial manufacturing processes. Recent results are presented and discussed for Au nanoparticle-incorporated TiO2 thin films. It is demonstrated that simultaneous temperature and gas sensing using a single sensing element is possible for this class of materials through multiple wavelength-monitoring schemes. The presented results clearly illustrate that Au nanoparticle-incorporated metal oxide films and other plasmonic nanocomposites show significant promise for monitoring both the composition and temperature of high-temperature gas streams with a single sensing element.