Optical fiber sensors based on nanostructured coatings

Optical fiber sensors have been developed from the late 1960s, when optical fiber was proposed as a practical medium for communication [1, 2]. Since then, a great effort has been dedicated for the design and development of optical fiber sensors. In fact, the use of this technology to fabricate sensors is very attractive because optical fibers make possible large sensor data capacities over long distances (kilometers). This implies that the sensing head can be very far from the electronic unit that processes the information. In addition to this, the optical fiber is made of dielectric materials which make possible to incorporate these devices in circumstances where high electromagnetic fields are applied, such as in medical magnetic resonance or in situations with high radiation doses [3]. Besides, optical fibers are made of biocompatible materials.