Humidity, Gas, and Volatile Organic Compound Sensors

This chapter lists the advantages of using optical fibre as technology for gas or volatile organic compounds (VOC) sensing, emphasizing the possibility of multiplexing. It describes sensing materials used to develop optical fibre sensors (OFSs) with the aim of detecting gases and VOCs. The chapter explains the different mechanisms of transduction of OFSs. It is exclusively dedicated to optical fibre humidity sensors and their most recent researches. The chapter encompasses the devices used for the identification and sensing of VOCs. It explains the artificial systems used for the detection of complex mixtures of VOCs (optoelectronic noses). In order to confirm if an OFS can be used to detect VOCs, several parameters related to static and dynamic responses of the sensors have to be studied. The main and most important parameters are: sensitivity, detection limit, selectivity, resolution, response time, recovery time, and stability.