Performance evaluation of photonic crystal fibre sensor for controlled drugs detection: a simulation approach

Abstract

Abstract This study proposes a simple and efficient Photonic Crystal Fibre sensor design for the detection of controlled drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, and ketamine. The design uses a pentagonal core hole and circular cladding air holes in 2 layers, made of fused silica substrate. The sensing performance of the proposed PCF design is evaluated using COMSOL Multiphysics and Finite Element Method, operating in the visible and infrared range from 0.4 to 3.2 μm. Results show that the proposed PCF design achieves high relative sensitivities of 99.55%, 99.75%, and 99.99% for cocaine, amphetamine, and ketamine, respectively, at the optimum wavelength of 0.4 μm. Additionally, the design is robust, showcasing minimal variations in relative sensitivities with changes in pitch distance, air hole diameter, and core hole length. These findings make the proposed PCF design a promising candidate for practical controlled drug sensing.