Plasmonic sensor as a method of measuring concentrations of binary solutions
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Keywords

Surface plasmon resonance
transfer matrix method
binary solutions
Kretschmann configuration
plasmonic sensor

Abstract

This paper aims to showcase the behavior of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). This optical technique can detect a small change in the refractive index of a sample and shows a shift in the reflective behavior, offering a method to measure precisely the concentration of a binary aqueous solution. The model used for this research is the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) coded into a mathematical simulation. TMM has contemplated the Kretschmann configuration, composed of an SF10 prism and a gold layer of 50 nm beamed with a 633 nm wavelength laser on p-polarization, for the solution sample used a mix of CuSO4 and water; by calculating the refractive index as a function of the binary solution concentration is possible to associate the reflective response to the concentration of the solution. The simulation presents a shift to the right into the angular response and, therefore, to the SPR angle to the increased concentration of the solution; this relationship is also shown in the SPR angle and the concentration of the solution in the calibration curve. These results may indicate the potential application of the technique as a sensor capable of measuring concentration in binary aqueous solutions, specifically, as a monitoring technology for water contaminants detection.

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