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Photonics
Volume 13
Issue 5
10.3390/photonics13050463
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Mechanism and Performance of a Reflective Plasmonic Humidity Sensor Based on an Au–PVA–Au Nanohole Sandwich Structure

by
Liang Zhu
1,
Jin Liu
1,*,
Haima Yang
2,
Jingru Zhang
3,*,
Damin Ding
4 and
Wenyao Xia
1
1
School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
2
School of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
3
School of Art and Design, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China
4
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Photonics 2026, 13(5), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050463
Submission received: 10 April 2026 / Revised: 29 April 2026 / Accepted: 6 May 2026 / Published: 8 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors)
Versions Notes

Abstract

A reflective plasmonic humidity sensor based on an Au–PVA–Au nanohole sandwich structure is investigated. The device consists of a periodic gold nanohole array, a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) spacer, and a continuous gold film. A humidity-dependent model considering both the refractive-index decrease and thickness swelling of PVA is established to analyze the optical response and resonance-modulation mechanism. Within the relative humidity range of 20–98%RH, the reflection resonance dip exhibits a continuous blueshift with a total wavelength shift of approximately 135 nm. Piecewise linear fitting shows sensitivities of 1.3857 nm/%RH in the 20–74%RH range and 2.5000 nm/%RH in the 74–98%RH range. At approximately 74%RH, the resonance wavelength, full width at half maximum, and quality factor are about 830 nm, 19 nm, and 43.7, respectively. Decoupling analysis confirms that both PVA refractive-index reduction and thickness swelling contribute to the blueshift, while their combined effect produces the largest response. These results demonstrate that the proposed structure converts humidity-induced optical and geometric variations in PVA into a pronounced wavelength response, providing a mechanism-guided design route for reflective nanoplasmonic humidity sensors based on polymer-assisted cavity modulation.
Keywords: surface plasmon resonance; humidity sensor; gold nanohole array; polyvinyl alcohol surface plasmon resonance; humidity sensor; gold nanohole array; polyvinyl alcohol

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, L.; Liu, J.; Yang, H.; Zhang, J.; Ding, D.; Xia, W. Mechanism and Performance of a Reflective Plasmonic Humidity Sensor Based on an Au–PVA–Au Nanohole Sandwich Structure. Photonics 2026, 13, 463. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050463

AMA Style

Zhu L, Liu J, Yang H, Zhang J, Ding D, Xia W. Mechanism and Performance of a Reflective Plasmonic Humidity Sensor Based on an Au–PVA–Au Nanohole Sandwich Structure. Photonics. 2026; 13(5):463. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050463

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Liang, Jin Liu, Haima Yang, Jingru Zhang, Damin Ding, and Wenyao Xia. 2026. "Mechanism and Performance of a Reflective Plasmonic Humidity Sensor Based on an Au–PVA–Au Nanohole Sandwich Structure" Photonics 13, no. 5: 463. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050463

APA Style

Zhu, L., Liu, J., Yang, H., Zhang, J., Ding, D., & Xia, W. (2026). Mechanism and Performance of a Reflective Plasmonic Humidity Sensor Based on an Au–PVA–Au Nanohole Sandwich Structure. Photonics, 13(5), 463. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13050463

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