Active optical poly(vinylchloride) thin-film waveguide ion sensor

The effectiveness of a proposed PVC (Poly(vinylchloride)) thin-film wavegui de ion sensor with high sensitivity which is based on a polymer matrix to m easure the concentration of various biochemical ions is assessed. The waveg uide is made of PVC co-polymer matrix containing ionophore, dioctylphthalat e and chromoionophore, and plays important roles both in light propagation and in selective ion sensing. To evaluate the efficiency of the sensor, sta ndard calcium solution is applied. Results showed the proposed sensor to be very effective as an ion sensor. This active waveguide sensor has the adva ntages of utilizing both the molecular recognition technique and the wavegu ide detection technique.