Nanocomposite Thin Film-Based Surface Plasmon Sensor for Detection of Ethanol in Petrochemical Industries

A proposed nanocomposite heterostructure of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chemical sensors is in the works and is based on novel materials. A glass prism is coated with a thin film of nanocomposites made of different materials, including silver (Ag), bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3), antimonide (An), and cytop. In SPR petrochemical sensors, these sensing materials have received enormous attention, as figure of merit (FoM) and sensitivity are significant factors in assessing sensor performance. The SPR chemical sensor is label-free and efficient; it offers real-time investigations with enhanced sensitivity and great potential for identifying different levels of ethanol in petrol and diesel. In the petrol–ethanol sample, the refractive index (RI) is 1.418–1.389 with varying ethanol concentrations, while in diesel, it is 1.466–1.411. The SPR chemical sensor’s performance has been examined with varied ethanol concentrations in petrol and diesel. The ethanol concentrations in the maximum order of sensitivity for petrol are 283.48 (°/RIU) for different concentration levels of the sample, and in diesel sensitivities, it is 204.013 (°/RIU).