Experimental investigation of the effect of polymer matrices on polymer fibre optic oxygen sensors and their time response characteristics using a vacuum testing chamber and a liquid flow apparatus.

Very fast sensors that are able to track rapid changes in oxygen partial pressure (PO) in the gas and liquid phases are increasingly required in scientific research - particularly in the life sciences. Recent interest in monitoring very fast changes in the PO of arterial blood in some respiratory failure conditions is one such example. Previous attempts to design fast intravascular electrochemical oxygen sensors for use in physiology and medicine have failed to meet the criteria that are now required in modern investigations.