High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH3 detection

Chong LI; Yan WANG; Jinqiao HOU; Huanming WANG; Jingting LUO; Chen FU; Fujian REN; Jikai ZHANG; Huiling ONG; Chenze LU; Hang XIAO; Xi CHEN; Ran TAO; Yuzhi CHEN; Yongqing FU; Qiang WU; Xuejin LI

doi:10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO₃/SnO₂ nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH₃ detection

Chong LI
, Yan WANG
, Jinqiao HOU
, Huanming WANG
, Jingting LUO
, Chen FU
, Fujian REN
, Jikai ZHANG
, Huiling ONG
, Chenze LU
, Hang XIAO
, Xi CHEN
, Ran TAO^*
, Yuzhi CHEN
, Yongqing FU
, Qiang WU
, Xuejin LI

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Interdisciplinary Studies

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ammonia, a key biomarker existing in human breath, plays a critical role in non-invasive breath testing at room temperature. Among various ammonia sensors, reflective fiber-optic sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offer significant advantages, including high sensitivity, small footprint, and portability, making them ideal for room-temperature gas sensing. In this work, WO₃/SnO₂ nanocomposites were synthesized via a solvothermal method to obtain sensitive materials for room-temperature NH3 detection. The WO₃/SnO₂ nanocomposites were deposited on the surface of the SPR fiber by dip-coating to form a uniform gas-sensitive film. The sensor exhibited exceptional performance, achieving a high sensitivity of -10.84 a.u./ppm, a fast response time of 2 s, and a theoretical limit of detection of 277 ppb at room-temperature. The enhanced sensing mechanism is attributed to the formation of WO₃-SnO₂ heterojunctions, which facilitate efficient charge transfer and amplify SPR signals via dielectric modulation. This work highlights the potential of low-dimensional material-integrated optical fiber platforms for non-invasive medical diagnostics through breath ammonia detection.

Original language	English
Article number	119827
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume	13
Issue number	6
Early online date	18 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Ltd.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62574136 , NSFC Grant no. 12104320 , No. 62305224 ), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant no. 2021YFF0603704 ), Guang Dong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant no. 2024A1515011985 ), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant no. 2021A1515011680 ), Shenzhen Science & Technology Project (Grant no. JCYJ20220818095611025 ), Shenzhen Bay Laboratory Open Fund Project (Grant No. SZBL2021080601012 ), Shenzhen High-end Talent Scientific Research Startup Project (Grant No. 827000636, 827000659 ), LingChuang Research Project of the China National Nuclear Corporation (No. CNNC-LCKY-2024–071, CNNC-LCKY-202267 ), Fund of Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education (No. Advmat-2423 ), Startup Foundation for High Level Talents in Shenzhen Higher Education System, Shenzhen University-Lingnan University Joint Research Program , Shenzhen Science and Technology Program ( JCYJ20240813142213018 ), Huainan Normal University Outstanding Talent Fund ( GCCRCKYQDJ825001 ).

Keywords

Fiber-optic sensors
NH
SnO quantum wires
Surface plasmon resonance
WO quantum dots

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

Cite this

LI, C., WANG, Y., HOU, J., WANG, H., LUO, J., FU, C., REN, F., ZHANG, J., ONG, H., LU, C., XIAO, H., CHEN, X., TAO, R., CHEN, Y., FU, Y., WU, Q., & LI, X. (2025). High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO₃/SnO₂ nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH₃ detection. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(6), Article 119827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

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title = "High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH3 detection",

abstract = "Ammonia, a key biomarker existing in human breath, plays a critical role in non-invasive breath testing at room temperature. Among various ammonia sensors, reflective fiber-optic sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offer significant advantages, including high sensitivity, small footprint, and portability, making them ideal for room-temperature gas sensing. In this work, WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized via a solvothermal method to obtain sensitive materials for room-temperature NH3 detection. The WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were deposited on the surface of the SPR fiber by dip-coating to form a uniform gas-sensitive film. The sensor exhibited exceptional performance, achieving a high sensitivity of -10.84 a.u./ppm, a fast response time of 2 s, and a theoretical limit of detection of 277 ppb at room-temperature. The enhanced sensing mechanism is attributed to the formation of WO₃-SnO₂ heterojunctions, which facilitate efficient charge transfer and amplify SPR signals via dielectric modulation. This work highlights the potential of low-dimensional material-integrated optical fiber platforms for non-invasive medical diagnostics through breath ammonia detection.",

keywords = "Fiber-optic sensors, NH, SnO quantum wires, Surface plasmon resonance, WO quantum dots",

author = "Chong LI and Yan WANG and Jinqiao HOU and Huanming WANG and Jingting LUO and Chen FU and Fujian REN and Jikai ZHANG and Huiling ONG and Chenze LU and Hang XIAO and Xi CHEN and Ran TAO and Yuzhi CHEN and Yongqing FU and Qiang WU and Xuejin LI",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Elsevier Ltd.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

journal = "Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering",

issn = "2213-2929",

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LI, C, WANG, Y, HOU, J, WANG, H, LUO, J, FU, C, REN, F, ZHANG, J, ONG, H, LU, C, XIAO, H , CHEN, X, TAO, R, CHEN, Y, FU, Y, WU, Q & LI, X 2025, 'High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO₃/SnO₂ nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH₃ detection', Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, vol. 13, no. 6, 119827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

TY - JOUR

T1 - High-performance and fast fiber-optic SPR gas sensor based on WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites films for room-temperature NH3 detection

AU - LI, Chong

AU - WANG, Yan

AU - HOU, Jinqiao

AU - WANG, Huanming

AU - LUO, Jingting

AU - FU, Chen

AU - REN, Fujian

AU - ZHANG, Jikai

AU - ONG, Huiling

AU - LU, Chenze

AU - XIAO, Hang

AU - CHEN, Xi

AU - TAO, Ran

AU - CHEN, Yuzhi

AU - FU, Yongqing

AU - WU, Qiang

AU - LI, Xuejin

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Ammonia, a key biomarker existing in human breath, plays a critical role in non-invasive breath testing at room temperature. Among various ammonia sensors, reflective fiber-optic sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offer significant advantages, including high sensitivity, small footprint, and portability, making them ideal for room-temperature gas sensing. In this work, WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized via a solvothermal method to obtain sensitive materials for room-temperature NH3 detection. The WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were deposited on the surface of the SPR fiber by dip-coating to form a uniform gas-sensitive film. The sensor exhibited exceptional performance, achieving a high sensitivity of -10.84 a.u./ppm, a fast response time of 2 s, and a theoretical limit of detection of 277 ppb at room-temperature. The enhanced sensing mechanism is attributed to the formation of WO₃-SnO₂ heterojunctions, which facilitate efficient charge transfer and amplify SPR signals via dielectric modulation. This work highlights the potential of low-dimensional material-integrated optical fiber platforms for non-invasive medical diagnostics through breath ammonia detection.

AB - Ammonia, a key biomarker existing in human breath, plays a critical role in non-invasive breath testing at room temperature. Among various ammonia sensors, reflective fiber-optic sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) offer significant advantages, including high sensitivity, small footprint, and portability, making them ideal for room-temperature gas sensing. In this work, WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized via a solvothermal method to obtain sensitive materials for room-temperature NH3 detection. The WO3/SnO2 nanocomposites were deposited on the surface of the SPR fiber by dip-coating to form a uniform gas-sensitive film. The sensor exhibited exceptional performance, achieving a high sensitivity of -10.84 a.u./ppm, a fast response time of 2 s, and a theoretical limit of detection of 277 ppb at room-temperature. The enhanced sensing mechanism is attributed to the formation of WO₃-SnO₂ heterojunctions, which facilitate efficient charge transfer and amplify SPR signals via dielectric modulation. This work highlights the potential of low-dimensional material-integrated optical fiber platforms for non-invasive medical diagnostics through breath ammonia detection.

KW - Fiber-optic sensors

KW - NH

KW - SnO quantum wires

KW - Surface plasmon resonance

KW - WO quantum dots

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020855680

U2 - 10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

DO - 10.1016/j.jece.2025.119827

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

SN - 2213-2929

VL - 13

JO - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

JF - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

IS - 6

M1 - 119827

ER -