Nanocrystalline samarium oxide coated fiber optic gas sensor

•This fiber optic gas sensor works at room temperature.•As-prepared and annealed Sm2O3 nanoparticles are act as sensor materials.•Sm2O3 clad modified fiber detect the ammonia, ethanol and methanol gases.•The response of evanescent wave loss has been studied for different concentrations.

Nanocrystalline Sm2O3 coated fiber optic sensor is proposed for detecting toxic gases such as ammonia, methanol and ethanol vapors. Sm2O3 in the as prepared form as well as annealed form have been used as gas sensing materials, by making them as cladding of a PMMA fiber. The spectral characteristics of the Sm2O3 gas sensor are presented for ammonia, methanol and ethanol gases with different concentrations ranging from 0 to 500 ppm. The sensor exhibits a linear variation in the output light intensity with the concentration. The enhanced gas sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor for ethanol is discussed briefly.