Ultrafast Response/Recovery Acetone Gas UV Absorption Sensor Based on Ag/PEEK Hollow Fiber

The achievement of ultrafast and precise detection of acetone is of great significance for industrial production and public safety. In this study, we designed an acetone gas sensing system based on a silver-coated polyether ether ketone (Ag/PEEK) plastic hollow fiber, which served as both a gas cell and the UV light transmission waveguide. Ultrafast response/recovery detection of acetone gas was achieved by the 274-nm absorption of acetone molecules in the hollow fiber. The effects of fiber inside diameter and length on sensing performance parameters, such as response/recovery times and sensitivity were investigated. Both an increase in fiber inside diameter and length result in extended response/recovery time, while the enhancement in sensitivity is primarily attributed to the fiber length increase. The absorption of the acetone gas sample exhibited an excellent linear relationship with its concentration ranging from 0.31 to 18.72 mg/L, with a correlation coefficient of R ² > 0.996. The hollow fiber sensor, with optimized structural dimensions (2 mm inside diameter and 150-cm length), exhibited a response/recovery time of 0.9/0.85 s for acetone gas, a sensitivity of 0.05218 a.u.ċ mg^-1 ċ L^-1 , and an LOD was 0.078 mg/L. When bending at radii of 25 cm for 180° and 20 cm for 360°, it could detect acetone gas with concentrations of 0.62-18.72 and 1.87-18.72 mg/L, respectively. This sensor has practical potential for real-time online detection of hazardous gases in industrial production, environmental protection, and human health, owing to its low fabrication cost, ductile gas cell, and high sensing performances.