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About

About

Luís Carlos Costa Coelho received his graduation in Physics Engineering in 2006 and MSc in Instrumentation and Microelectronics in 2007 both by University of Coimbra in Portugal. At the Physics Department of the same University he developed research in Atomic and Nuclear Instrumentation with focus on gaseous scintillation counters towards high energy radiation. In this context he was directly involved in international experiments as "Xenon Direct Dark Matter Search" at the National Laboratory of Gran Sasso in Italy, aiming search dark matter through the detection of weakly interacting massive particles.

In 2010 he started to work in optical fibre sensors at the Optoelectronics and Electronic Systems of INESC Porto (now INESC TEC) in Portugal, mainly applied to hydrogen detection under the project MICROPHYTE-Metabolic engineering of chlamydomonas and environmental optimization for hydrogen production and release.

In 2016 received his Ph.D. degree in Physics at the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal with the focus on thin films technology applied to optical fibre optic sensors in collaboration with the Centre for Applied Photonics of INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal.

His main research interests are related to the detection and monitoring of chemical entities and biological targets through the application of a wide variety of optical technologies, namely optical spectroscopy, using fluorescence or absorption, evanescent field-based devices, Long Period Fiber Gratings, the excitation of electromagnetic surface waves as plasmonics, and optical intergerometers. His main activities are focused on the development of sensors based on the manipulation of optical fibers with special physical polishing and chemical etching, on the deposition of thin films of high purity materials and with UV to NIR spectroscopy techniques. It has also built the control and interrogation systems in the development of dedicated prototypes.

He has been working in several international projects related to the detection of biological and chemical elements on water namely through the development of fiber optic probes to real-time monitor dissolved carbon dioxide, pollutants, and contaminants on water systems.

In the last few years, he has published more than 90 papers in international journals with referee and over 80 papers in national and international conferences with more than 3900 citations and an h index of 25 (Scopus 06.10.2023).

Presently he has a research contract with INESC TEC under the FCT program Scientific Employment Stimulus 2018 aiming the study and development of technological advanced optical sensors for marine applications.

He is supervisor of several Master and PhD Students working in the same subject.

He has been refereeing in a wide range of international journals as IEEE, OSA, SPIE, Elsevier, Pier, MDPI and Springer and is currently Editor of a special issue of the Sensors Journal of MDPI – Optical Fibre Sensors 2018-2019.

He was also the president of the University of Porto SPIE Student Chapter in 2014 and a member of the organization team of the 9th Advanced Study Course on Optical Chemical Sensors and Biosensors (ASCOS 2015). 

Interest
Topics
Details

Details

  • Name

    Luís Carlos Coelho
  • Role

    Assistant Researcher
  • Since

    01st February 2010
  • Nationality

    Portugal
  • Centre

    Applied Photonics
  • Contacts

    +351220402301
    luis.c.coelho@inesctec.pt
008
Publications

2024

Impact of gaseous interferents on palladium expansion for hydrogen optical sensing: A time stability study

Authors
Almeida, MAS; Almeida, JMMMD; Coelho, LCC;

Publication
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY

Abstract
Continuous monitoring of hydrogen (H2) concentration is critical for safer use, which can be done using optical sensors. Palladium (Pd) is the most commonly used transducer material for this monitoring. This material absorbs H2 leading to an isotropic expansion. This process is reversible but is affected by the interaction with interferents, and the lifetime of Pd thin films is a recurring issue. Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors are used to follow the strain induced by H2 on Pd thin films. In this work, it is studied the stability of Pd-coated FBGs, protected with a thin Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, 10 years after their deposition to assess their viability to be used as H2 sensors for long periods of time. It was found that Pd coatings that were PTFE-protected after deposition had a longer lifetime than unprotected films, with the same sensitivities that they had immediately after their deposition, namely 23 and 10 pm/vol% for the sensors with 150 and 100 nm of Pd, respectively, and a saturation point around 2 kPa. Furthermore, the Pd expansion was analyzed in the presence of H2, nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and water vapor (H2O), finding that H2O is the main interferent. Finally, an exhaustive test for 90 h is also done to analyze the long-term stability of Pd films in dry and humid environments, with only the protected sensor maintaining the long-term response. As a result, this study emphasizes the importance of using protective polymeric layers in Pd films to achieve the five-year lifetime required for a real H2 monitoring application.

2024

Optical pH Sensor Based on a Long-Period Fiber Grating Coated with a Polymeric Layer-by-Layer Electrostatic Self-Assembled Nanofilm

Authors
Pereira, JM; Mendes, JP; Dias, B; de Almeida, JMMM; Coelho, LCC;

Publication
SENSORS

Abstract
An optical fiber pH sensor based on a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) is reported. Two oppositely charged polymers, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyacrylic acid (PAA), were alternately deposited on the sensing structure through a layer-by-layer (LbL) electrostatic self-assembly technique. Since the polymers are pH sensitive, their refractive index (RI) varies when the pH of the solution changes due to swelling/deswelling phenomena. The fabricated multilayer coating retained a similar property, enabling its use in pH-sensing applications. The pH of the PAA dipping solution was tuned so that a coated LPFG achieved a pH sensitivity of (6.3 +/- 0.2) nm/pH in the 5.92-9.23 pH range. Only two bilayers of PEI/PAA were used as an overlay, which reduces the fabrication time and increases the reproducibility of the sensor, and its reversibility and repeatability were demonstrated by tracking the resonance band position throughout multiple cycles between different pH solutions. With simulation work and experimental results from a low-finesse Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity on a fiber tip, the coating properties were estimated. When saturated at low pH, it has a thickness of 200 nm and 1.53 +/- 0.01 RI, expanding up to 310 nm with a 1.35 +/- 0.01 RI at higher pH values, mostly due to the structural changes in the PAA.

2024

Observation of Surface Plasmon Polaritons and Bloch Surface Waves in a Metal-Dielectric Photonic Crystal

Authors
Dias, BS; de Almeida, JMMM; Coelho, LCC;

Publication
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL

Abstract
The excitation of two different electromagnetic surface waves-surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and Bloch surface waves (BSWs)-is demonstrated in a 1-D metal-dielectric photonic crystal with numerical and experimental studies. The discussed structure consists of an Ag-TiO2 thin-film stack forming a metal-insulator-metal-insulator device. The thickness of the TiO2 layer placed between the metals is tested for two different values (50 and 300 nm), which also allows the excitation of guided-mode resonances. It is observed that BSWs in this metal-dielectric structure behave similar to the case of all-dielectric photonic crystals, whereas the SPP modes display similar properties to those excited in metal-insulator-metal cavities. The sensitivity of these surface states to variations in the refractive index (RI) of the external dielectric is characterized. For the case of the plasmonic modes, a maximum sensitivity of (7.2 +/- 0.3) x 10(3) nm/RIU was measured, while for the BSW the maximum sensitivity was (1.20 +/- 0.05) x 10(2) nm/RIU. Due to the large field enhancement and penetration on external media, these surface states display exceptional properties for application in optical sensors, and the presented results provide interesting possibilities in the design of novel sensing structures with a flexible selection of surface states for interrogation.

2024

From localized to propagating surface plasmon resonances in Au nanoparticle-coated optical fiber sensors and its implications in biosensing

Authors
dos Santos, PSS; Mendes, JP; Perez-Juste, J; Pastoriza-Santos, I; De Almeida, JMMM; Coelho, LCC;

Publication
PHOTONICS RESEARCH

Abstract
Nanoparticle-based plasmonic optical fiber sensors can exhibit high sensing performance, in terms of refractive index sensitivities (RISs). However, a comprehensive understanding of the factors governing the RIS in this type of sensor remains limited, with existing reports often overlooking the presence of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomena in nanoparticle (NP) assemblies and attributing high RIS to plasmonic coupling or waveguiding effects. Herein, using plasmonic optical fiber sensors based on spherical Au nanoparticles, we investigate the basis of their enhanced RIS, both experimentally and theoretically. The bulk behavior of assembled Au NPs on the optical fiber was investigated using an effective medium approximation (EMA), specifically the gradient effective medium approximation (GEMA). Our findings demonstrate that the Au-coated optical fibers can support the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as well as SPR in particular scenarios. Interestingly, we found that the nanoparticle sizes and surface coverage dictate which effect takes precedence in determining the RIS of the fiber. Experimental data, in line with numerical simulations, revealed that increasing the Au NP diameter from 20 to 90 nm (15% surface coverage) led to an RIS increase from 135 to 6998 nm/RIU due to a transition from LSPR to SPR behavior. Likewise, increasing the surface coverage of the fiber from 9% to 15% with 90 nm Au nanoparticles resulted in an increase in RIS from 1297 (LSPR) to 6998 nm/RIU (SPR). Hence, we ascribe the exceptional performance of these plasmonic optical fibers primary to SPR effects, as evidenced by the nonlinear RIS behavior. The outstanding RIS of these plasmonic optical fibers was further demonstrated in the detection of thrombin protein, achieving very low limits of detection. These findings support broader applications of high-performance NP-based plasmonic optical fiber sensors in areas such as biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and chemical analysis. (c) 2024 Chinese Laser Press

2023

Refractometric sensitivity of Bloch surface waves : perturbation theory calculation and experimental validation

Authors
Dias, BS; De Almeida, JMMM; Coelho, LCC;

Publication
OPTICS LETTERS

Abstract
The sensitivity of one-dimensional Bloch surface wave (BSW) sensors to external refractive index variations using Kretschmann's configuration is calculated analytically by employing first-order perturbation theory for both TE and TM modes. This approach is then validated by com- parison with both transfer matrix method simulations and experimental results for a chosen photonic crystal structure. Experimental sensitivities of (8.4 +/- 0.2)x102 and (8.4 +/- 0.4)x102 nm/RIU were obtained for the TE and TM BSW modes, corresponding to errors of 0.02% and 4%, respectively, when comparing with the perturbation the- ory approach. These results provide interesting insights into photonic crystal design for Bloch surface wave sensing by casting light into the important parameters related with sen- sor performance.(c) 2023 Optica Publishing Group

Supervised
thesis

2023

Magnetophotonics for Electromagnetic Surface Waves Sensors

Author
João Pedro Miranda Carvalho

Institution
UP-FCUP

2023

Fiber Optic Sensors for the Detection of Water Contaminants

Author
José Miguel da Silva Amaral Pereira

Institution
UP-FCUP

2023

Development of cost-effective monitoring systems for chemical water contamination using nanoparticle coated optical fiber sensors

Author
Paulo Sérgio Soares dos Santos

Institution
UP-FCUP

2023

Development of optical sensors for detecting hydrogen in storage and distribution lines

Author
Miguel Ângelo Silva Almeida

Institution
UP-FCUP

2023

Wireless optical fibre sensors network for the health monitoring of concrete structures

Author
Pedro Miguel Madeira da SIlva

Institution
UP-FCUP