Advances in Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Plastic Optical Fiber Sensors

In the current review, recent advances in the field of surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based plastic optical fiber (POF) sensors are summarized. The review focused on the different types of sensors and their uses. The performance of POF sensors with different geometries, i.e. U-bent, D-shaped, side-polished, and tapered geometries, is explored using SPR/localized SPR (LSPR) techniques in biochemical and medical applications. The coating materials used in SPR-POF sensor fabrication are highlighted, and the possibility of using simple, low-cost structures to produce a high sensitivity POF sensor is presented. Appropriate materials, such as aptamer, Pd/Au, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), and graphene, are selected for POF fabrication in different application fields. The SPR-based D-shaped POF sensor with Pd/Au coating materials, which is used for biochemical sensing applications, has relatively good sensitivity. Meanwhile, the SPR-based D-shaped POF sensor with Au+MIP coating materials is a good choice for the detection of furfural and dibenzyl disulfide analytes in transformer oil. For LSPR-based POF, U-bent configuration is suitable for biochemical sensing