Metal Oxide Coated Optical Fiber for Humidity Sensing Application: A Review

Humidity measurement in biomedicals, industry and electronic manufacturing applications needs an accurate and fast measurement of relative humidity by the sensor. In recent years, electronic sensors are utilized in the market, but optical humidity sensors provide several advantages over it. This paper reports the classification of optical fiber humidity sensors based on their working principles, such as fiber Bragg gratings, interferometers, and resonators. Along with the mentioned optical fiber structures, their fabrication process, equipment required for humidity sensing and the coating technique used are explained in this review. Recently, metal oxide semiconductors have been widely used as sensing material, specifically in humidity sensor applications. Thus, this paper explores optical fiber humidity sensors based on the three working principles mentioned, all of which incorporate metal oxide coatings. This review reveals that the most commonly used metal oxide for optical fiber humidity sensing is graphene oxide. This is because graphene oxide offers high sensitivity, fast response and recovery time over the other types of metal oxide. A large number of oxygen-containing groups on the surface and edge of graphene oxide also contribute to humidity sensing performance since it can permeate and absorb more water molecules. The use of hybrid nanomaterials is recently discovered and their potential as emerging coating material for optical applications are not fully exploited yet. Thus, there is still an opportunity for improvement in terms of sensitivity, response and recovery time in the context of optical fiber humidity sensor

Metal Oxide Coated Optical Fiber for Humidity Sensing Application: A Review

Humidity measurement in biomedicals, industry and electronic manufacturing applications needs an accurate and fast measurement of relative humidity by the sensor. In recent years, electronic sensors are utilized in the market, but optical humidity sensors provide several advantages over it. This paper reports the classification of optical fiber humidity sensors based on their working principles, such as fiber Bragg gratings, interferometers, and resonators. Along with the mentioned optical fiber structures, their fabrication process, equipment required for humidity sensing and the coating technique used are explained in this review. Recently, metal oxide semiconductors have been widely used as sensing material, specifically in humidity sensor applications. Thus, this paper explores optical fiber humidity sensors based on the three working principles mentioned, all of which incorporate metal oxide coatings. This review reveals that the most commonly used metal oxide for optical fiber humidity sensing is graphene oxide. This is because graphene oxide offers high sensitivity, fast response and recovery time over the other types of metal oxide. A large number of oxygen-containing groups on the surface and edge of graphene oxide also contribute to humidity sensing performance since it can permeate and absorb more water molecules. The use of hybrid nanomaterials is recently discovered and their potential as emerging coating material for optical applications are not fully exploited yet. Thus, there is still an opportunity for improvement in terms of sensitivity, response and recovery time in the context of optical fiber humidity sensor

You cannot always <i>win</i>:Molecular bases of the resistance of picornaviruses to win compounds

The Picornaviridae family comprises a heterogeneous group of non-enveloped viruses with genome consisting of a single positive-sense RNA strand. Infections with picornaviruses are very common in humans, producing a spectrum of clinical outcomes, ranging from asymptomatic infection and mild respiratory illness, to meningitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, and enterovirus-induced septic syndrome. Most picornaviruses seem to develop resistance quite effectively against almost any chemotherapeutic agent that modern science has developed, presenting a truly formidable challenge to modern healthcare. For some time, it has been hoped that synthetic agents mimicking the naturally occurring sphingosine-like molecule occupying the hydrophobic pocket in the viral capsid may be useful as antiviral agents, but it has been repeatedly demonstrated that resistance to the pocket-binding antivirals develops quite rapidly and that viral strains dependent on the chemotherapeutic may emerge. Several pocket-binding pyrazole drugs have entered clinical trials so far, but as of now, none of these have been licensed by the FDA, despite the extensive clinical trials. Apparently, the search for means of prevention of infection with rhino- and enteroviruses or an etiotropic cure for the conditions related to infections with picornaviruses is still ongoing