In present work it was attempted to prepare luminescent TiO2:Sm3+ microprobes embedded into low density polyethylene (LDPE) films for real-time non-intrusive detection of oxygen contamination in plastic film of food packages with a long term goal of streamlining the quality control mechanisms in food packaging process. The luminescence of TiO2:Sm3+ has previously been reported to be a usable for optical sensing of O2 and other gases [1]. In current work we also show that its thermal stability makes it especially suitable for thermo polymer industry as it can withstand required thermal treatments encountered in different polymer processing stages without losing its ability to function as an O2 probe. Sol–gel-prepared TiO2:Sm3+ microparticles were embedded into LDPE by direct mixing [2] and hot pressing the polymer in molten state. The optical response of the doped films to various O2 ambient concentrations are reported in comparison to pristine TiO2:Sm3+ powder. The shortcomings in the sensor performance due to poor oxide particle size control must be paid attention in the future.
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