Highly sensitive optical waveguide sensor for SO2 and H2S detection in the parts-per-trillion regime using tetraaminophenyl porphyrin

Optical waveguide (OWG) sensors present great potential for detecting trace levels of harmful gases because of their high sensitivity and anti-electromagnetic interference. However, OWG-based SO2 and H2S-detecting sensors in the parts-per-trillion (ppt) range are still lacking. We fabricated 5,10,15,20-(tetra-4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TAPP) thin film-based OWG sensor devices (TAPP-OWG) to detect SO2 and H2S gases, in which TAPP thin film was immobilized over the surface of a potassium ion exchange glass OWG. These sensors successfully measure extremely low concentrations of SO2 and H2S (detection limit = 1 ppt), providing good repeatability for SO2 (10 ppt) and H2S (10 ppt) gases, with relative standard deviations of 1.67% and 3.68%, respectively. With fast response (t1) and recovery (t2) times for SO2 (t1=4 s, t2=157 s) and H2S (t1=2 s, t2=117 s) at room temperature, TAPP thin film enhances the potential of OWGs for use in high-sensitivity trace-level gas detection.