Synthesis of PVA-Gold and Silver Nanoparticles via PLAL to Improve the Performance of the PCF-SPR Glucose Sensor

This study proposes a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) biosensor using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon. Active plasmonic nanomaterials, consisting of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles, were prepared via the pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) method, characterized using different techniques. These nanoparticles were subsequently mixed with a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution to enhance sensitivity and compatibility for sensor applications. The PVA-Au/Ag nanoparticles were coated on the outer surface of the PCF for a simplified sensor configuration. The results showed that the sensitivities for PCF coated with PVA-gold and PVA-silver NPs are 1927 and 1397 nm/RIU with a maximum resolution of 2.51 × 10⁻⁵ RIU for samples with glucose concentration in water ranging from 80 to 600 mg/dl and maximum FOM are 853 and 855 for PCF coated with gold and silver NPs, respectively. Notably, this innovative sensor design, coupled with comprehensive nanoparticle characterization and PVA integration, holds great promise for precise and real-time glucose monitoring in many practical applications.