Ultrafast Response Optical Microfiber Interferometric VOC Sensor Based on Evanescent Field Interaction with ZIF‐8/Graphene Oxide Nanocoating

Abstract Incorporating nanomaterials into photonic device to enhance light–matter interaction is a promising method to enhance photonic sensing, and investigating the interaction of nanomaterials with photonic devices is essential for evanescent field‐based photonic devices. In this study, the light–matter interaction of nanomaterial‐photonic devices is investigated via in situ synthesis of multilayer zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) nanoparticles on a graphene oxide (GO) premodified optical fiber. The introduction of GO successfully refines the weak adhesion of ZIF‐8 on the optical microfiber, which aids the synthesis of highly uniform morphology. Based on the evanescent field change during the growth process of ZIF‐8 on the optical microfiber, the optical properties of ZIF‐8 are obtained through experiment and simulation. Ethanol is used to verify the capability of the sensing platform, and a concentration specific response with high sensor response at room temperature and low limit detection (5.26 ppm) is demonstrated, which matches the theoretical results. The incorporation of the GO/ZIF‐8 multilayer fiber sensor leads to ultrafast sensor response (118 ms), resulting from the high specific surface area and porous structure. The obtained sensor provides a guideline for metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) coated photonic devices with potential industrial applications and environmental benefits.