OPTICAL SENSOR FOR DETECTING CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES DISSOLVED OR DISPERSED IN WATER

摘要

A highly sensitive optical sensor in a simple structure for detecting a chemical substance dissolved or dispersed in water is provided. The optical sensor (1) comprises a detecting element (2) having a polymer thin film, a light source unit (3) for emitting light for irradiating the polymer thin film, and a photo-detector (4) for detecting the intensity of light reflected from the polymer thin film. The detecting element (2), the light source unit (3), and the photo-detector (4) are integrally mounted in a housing. The polymer thin film is formed on a highly reflective substrate or an optically transparent substrate so as to interact with a chemical substance dissolved or dispersed in water flowing through a water channel (8).