Detection of riboflavin concentration by sol-gel silica coated dual-peak long period fiber grating sensor

A dual-peak long period fiber grating (DP-LPFG)-based sensor was designed and fabricated for the sensitive detection of riboflavin concentration. LPFGs with a period of 163 μm and a cladding mode of LP_{0, 12} were inscribed on a standard single-mode silica fiber using a femtosecond laser direct writing technique. Coatings of silica-based materials doped with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), prepared via the sol-gel method, were applied to the surface of the LPFGs for the detection of riboflavin. To investigate the impact of coating thickness on the sensing sensitivity, sol-gel coatings of different thicknesses were applied to the surface of the LPFG sensor. Experimental findings revealed that the sensor with a thickness of approximately 540 nm sol-gel coatings exhibited superior sensing performance. The detection limit of the prepared DP-LPFG sensor was tested to be 0.08 nM, and it exhibits a response time of less than 3 minutes, along with high sensitivity, excellent repeatability, and selectivity. Thus, this sensor holds significant promise for applications in disease treatment and diagnosis, as well as in ensuring food quality.