Pulsed laser synthesis of metallic nanostructures with "bare and clean" surfaces for high efficient humidity sensing

我们的合作伙伴SensWear Inc.是一家加拿大公司，成立于2010年，设计和制造高科技智能、紧凑型和定制光纤，用于医疗保健、安全环境、化学和能源等战略领域的环境传感和监测应用。最近，SensWear展示了一种基于金属薄膜涂层弯曲光纤的湿度传感器的概念证明，该光纤具有高RH%(90-100%)的高性能。他们设计了一种基于表面等离子体共振(SPR)的光纤传感尖端的几何结构，这种尖端可以促进高灵敏度的湿度测量。然而，这些传感器有限的工作范围阻碍了它们真正的应用和商业化潜力。为了支持这一技术增长，我们的合作伙伴致力于开发创新的解决方案，以促进实现高灵敏度湿度传感器所需的清洁、低成本、简单和大表面积的等离子涂层沉积工艺，并扩大工作范围。这类传感器不仅有可能成为湿度测量的首选技术，而且还可能应用于对加拿大经济具有战略意义的广泛领域，包括汽车、医疗、航空航天等。

Our partner SensWear Inc. is a Canadian company founded in 2010 that designs and fabricates high-tech smart,compact, and custom optical fiber for environmental sensing and monitoring application in strategic fields suchas health care, safety environment, chemical and energy. Recently, SensWear has demonstrated a proof ofconcept of humidity sensor based on metallic film coated bent optical fibers with high performance in highRH% (90-100%). They designed geometrical configurations of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) basedfiber-optic sensing tip which promote highly sensitive humidity measurements. Nevertheless, the limitedoperating range of these sensors hinders their real potential of application and commercialization. To supportthis technology growth, our partner aims to develop innovative solution which promote a clean, low cost,simple and large surface area deposition process of plasmonic coatings needed to achieve highly sensitivehumidity sensors with an extended operational range. Such sensors have the potential of becoming thetechnology of choice not only for humidity measurement, but across a wide range of areas that are strategic toCanada's economy, including automotive, medical, aerospace, to name a few.