Application of plastic optical fiber material as pH measurement sensor using loop configuration

Abstract

Plastic optical fiber testing as a sensor can be applied in pH measurement using loop configuration. It was made of a plastic optical fiber material with two types of peel, namely with cladding and without cladding. Sensor testing was done by dipping the sensor into buffer solutions with varying pH values. The light intensity from the LED will experience power losses due to the effect of adding the solution refractive index around the sensor, so the phototransistor will receive smaller the light intensity. Changes of light intensity in the optical fiber causes the output voltage read on the microcontroller and the computer decreases. The best measurement was obtained at sensor type of without cladding 4 loops with sensitivity 0.035 V/pH and resolution 0.029 pH. Aplication of plastic optical fiber as sensor for pH measurement has advantages such as low cost, real time, high sensitivity, accurate and simple measurement.