Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Solvent-assisted titania nanoparticles based fiber optic pH sensor: structural, optical, and sensing characteristics

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for optical, photonic and optoelectronic applications
  • Published:
Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Owing to pH sensing applications, titania nanoparticles (TNPs) are synthesized at low temperatures 90 °C by sol-gel method and exposed to different solvents i.e., methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol. The solvents formed the pores in the TNPs matrices which effectively host phenol red (PR) dye species and enhanced the sensitivity of the fiber optic sensor. Atomic force microscopy exhibited the crack-free, dense porous morphology of butanol-assisted TNPs with average roughness 2.5 and film thickness of ~13 nm. The refractive index 1.7 with 64% porosity is observed for B-TNPs. The sensitivity of PR-immobilized B-TNPs is observed 5.47 counts/pH. The experimental findings suggested that the synthesized B/TNPs have practical usage in different fields such as food science, environmental monitoring, and agriculture research.

Graphical abstract

Highlights

  • Owing to pH sensing applications, titania nanoparticles (TNPs) are synthesized at low temperatures 90 °C by sol-gel method.

  • The crack-free, dense porous morphology of butanol-assisted TNPs with average roughness 2.5 and film thickness ~13 nm.

  • The refractive index 1.7 with 64% porosity is observed for B-TNPs.

  • The sensitivity of PR-immobilized B-TNPs is observed 5.47 counts/pH.

  • The experimental findings suggested that the synthesized B/TNPs have the potential as sensing material.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alshoaibi A, Islam S (2021) Thermally stable ZnO doped SiO2–TiO2 nanocomposite based Opto-chemical sensor. Mater Chem Phys 267:124687

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ghadiry M, M Gholami M, Kong LC, Yi CW, Ahmad H, Alias Y (2016) Sensors 16:39

  3. Compagnoni M, Villa A, Bahdori E, Morgan DJ, Prati L, Dimitratos N, Rossetti I, Ramis G (2018) Surface probing by spectroscopy on titania-supported gold nanoparticles for a photoreductive application. Catalysts 8:623

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ashrafi N N, Gharanjig K, Hosseinnezhad M, Mehrizi MK, Imani H, Razani N (2018) Prog Color Colorants Coat 11:79–83

  5. Islam S (2022) Atomic site structural functionality and thermal stability of phenol red encapsulated zincite incorporated silica-anatase microspheres for opto-chemical pH sensing. Mater Chem Phys 290:126550

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Singh S, Singh A, Wana M, Yadav RR, Tandon P, Rasool SSA, Yadav BC (2014) Fabrication of self-assembled hierarchical flowerlike zinc stannate thin film and its application as liquefied petroleum gas sensor. Sens Actuators B: Chem 205:102–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Irshad M, Mujahid A, Afzal A, Bajwa SZ, Hussain T, Zaman W, Latif U, Athar MM (2018) A miniaturized electronic sensor for instant monitoring of ethanol in gasohol fuel blends. RSC Adv 8:22952

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Halim A, Awang N, Yajid MAM (2022) A comparison between the effects of hydrophobic and hydrophilic silica aerogel fillers on tensile and thermal properties of unsaturated polyester composites. Polym Bull 79:6173–6191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. John AK, Palaty S (2018) Influence of solvent and pH on the synthesis of visible light active titanium dioxide nanoparticles. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 87:391–399

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Alshoaibi A, Islam S (2022) Heating influence on atomic site structural changes of Mesoporous Au supported Anatase nanocomposite for photocatalytic progression. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 104:225–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hardcastle FD, Ishihara H, Sharma R, Biris AS (2011) Photoelectroactivity and Raman spectroscopy of anodized titania (TiO2) photoactive water-splitting catalysts as a function of oxygen-annealing temperature. J Mater Chem 21:6337

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Alshoaibi A, Islam S (2022) Multi-organic dyes-immobilised zincite decorated silica-titania nanocomposite: A study on atomic site structural changes for pH sensor activity progression. Mater Res Bull 149:111730

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Mechiakh R, Meriche F, Kremer R, Bensaha R, Boudine B, Boudrioua A (2007) Opt Mater 30:645

  14. Islam S, Rahman RA, Othaman ZB, Riaz S, Naseem S (2015) Synthesis and characterization of multilayered sol–gel-based plastic-clad fiber optic pH sensor. J Ind Eng Chem 23:140–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Islam S, Alshoaibi A (2022) Raspberry-like creosol red functionalized zincite supported silica-titania nanocomposite: Correlation of structural, optical, and pH sensing properties. Mater Res Bull 155:111967

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Saion E, Susilawati, Doyan A, Abidin SZ, Azmi Z, Zulkfli A, Zaki AR, Dahlan KZH, Karni T (2005) Changes in the optical band gap and absorption edge of gamma-irradiated polymer blends. J Appl Sci 5:1825–1829

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mansour AM, Abou Hammad AB, Bakr AM (2022) Silica zinc titanate wide bandgap semiconductor nanocrystallites: synthesis and characterization. Silicon 14:11715–11729

  18. Parvathiraja C, Katheria S, Siddiqui MR, Wabaidur SM, Islam SMMA, Lai W-C (2022) Activated Carbon-Loaded Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Their Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Investigations. Catalysts 12:834

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Haque FZ, Nandanwar R, Singh P (2017) Evaluating photodegradation properties of anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles for organic compounds. Optik 128:191–200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Mercado C, Seeley Z, Bandyopadhyay A, Bose S, McHale JL (2011) Photoluminescence of Dense Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Thin Films: Effect of Doping and Thickness and Relation to Gas Sensing. ACS Appl Mater Interfac 3:2281–2288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia [Grant No. 2558].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, P.O. Box 400, Hofuf, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Shumaila Islam, Adil Alshoaibi & Javed Mazher

  2. Laser Centre, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Shumaila Islam, Hazri Bakhtiar & Nada Elshikeri

Authors
  1. Shumaila Islam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adil Alshoaibi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hazri Bakhtiar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Javed Mazher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nada Elshikeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adil Alshoaibi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Islam, S., Alshoaibi, A., Bakhtiar, H. et al. Solvent-assisted titania nanoparticles based fiber optic pH sensor: structural, optical, and sensing characteristics. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 105, 555–564 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-023-06037-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-023-06037-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation