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Influence of polishing length on the sensitivity of D-shaped fiber-based refractive index sensor for alcohol detection

FARRA IZZANY TARMIZI1, NIK NOOR HARYATUL ELEENA NIK MAHMUD1, SITI NOOR HAMIZAH ADAM1, WAN MARYAM WAN AHMAD KAMIL1, SITI KHADIJAH MOHD BAKHORI1, AHMAD RAZIF MUHAMMAD2, SULAIMAN WADI HARUN3, AFIQ ARIF AMINUDDIN JAFRY1,*

Affiliation

  1. School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia
  2. Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
  3. Photonics Engineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of polishing lengths on the sensitivity of the D-shaped fiber (DSF)-based refractive index sensor. The DSF was prepared using the polishing wheel technique, utilizing polishing bits with diameters of 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm. The DSF sensors were coated with zinc oxide-polyvinyl alcohol, which acts as a light-matter interaction enhancer for refractive index detection. The probe detects isopropyl alcohol with a concentration ranging from 0 to 100%. The result shows the sensor’s sensitivity reached a maximum of 0.1942 nm/RIU and a resolution of 2.05×10-2 RIU within the refractive index range of 1.33-1.38, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DSF probe. All DSF-coated with ZnO probes have a high linearity of above 95%. In contrast, the uncoated DSF exhibits a lower linearity (80%), indicating that ZnO is an excellent coating material for RI sensing. Additionally, the analysis reveals a direct correlation between the polishing length and the sensor’s performance, underscoring the potential for optimizing the polishing process to improve sensitivity. The findings suggest that DSF sensors are promising candidates for high-precision refractive index detection in various applications.

Keywords

D-shaped fiber, Refractive index sensor, Zinc oxide, Biosensor.

Citation

FARRA IZZANY TARMIZI, NIK NOOR HARYATUL ELEENA NIK MAHMUD, SITI NOOR HAMIZAH ADAM, WAN MARYAM WAN AHMAD KAMIL, SITI KHADIJAH MOHD BAKHORI, AHMAD RAZIF MUHAMMAD, SULAIMAN WADI HARUN, AFIQ ARIF AMINUDDIN JAFRY, Influence of polishing length on the sensitivity of D-shaped fiber-based refractive index sensor for alcohol detection, Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials - Rapid Communications, 20, 3-4, March-April 2026, pp.89-96 (2026).

Submitted at: Aug. 5, 2025

Accepted at: April 8, 2026