We fabricated a localized surface plasmon resonance dew sensor and examined its optical characteristics under low humidity conditions. The sensor consists of a silver film (100 nm thick) deposited on a self-assembled monolayer of variously sized silica particles. The sensor measures dew condensation by determining two parameters: absorbance at 900.3 nm and wavelength shift of an absorbance spectrum peak. A sensor fabricated with 400-nm-diameter silica particles exhibits a high optical refractive index sensitivity of 462.6 nm/RIU. In the cooling experiments at the dew point of -13.04 °C, the sensor exhibits an absorbance changing temperature equivalent to the dew point as well as a chilled mirror dew sensor and an absorbance peak wavelength shift at -7.50 °C. Thus, the proposed sensor can detect micro-dew condensation, which is undetectable by a conventional chilled mirror dew sensor.
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