Singlemode-Multimode-Singlemode (SMS) is one of the fiber optic sensor structures that is widely applied for many sensing applications. High sensitivity is the preferred characteristic of SMS fiber structure. In this paper, a tapered structure is introduced to the SMS fiber structure to increase its performance. The tapered structure is made by the etching method by immersing the SMS multimode fiber in hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. The immersion time was varied 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. The diameter of the multimode fiber decreases with the longer immersion time, while the length does not change. The STMS transmission spectrum was measured to investigate its performance. The chemical etching method using HF solution for tapering the SMS fibers has great potential as a simple method to achieve a smaller radius without lengthening multimode fibers.

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In this paper, a load effect on a singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) fiber structure embedded in a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated numerically and experimentally. It was modelled that the applied load induces a longitudinal strain on the HDPE and accordingly affects the SMS fiber structure's parameters. It was calculated the output power of the SMS fiber structure using a graded index multimode fiber (MMF) due to the applied strain from 0 to 4000 N. The experimental result shows that for the MMF length of 105 mm, the output power has monotonically increasing for an applied load range from 1700 to 4000 N with a sensitivity of 1.18 x 10 -3 dBm/N. This configuration of SMS fiber structure embedded in the HDPE is potential for a load sensor.

A rapid and high-performance sensor for lard adulterant in edible oil was developed using the tapered plastic optical fiber (POF) coated with graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The coating material was deposited onto a tapered POF with a taper waist diameter and a taper length of 0.45 mm and 1 cm, respectively. The addition of the coating material was used to increase the sensitivity and selectivity coefficient of the tapered POF toward the lard substance. The sensing mechanism is based on a simultaneous interaction of lard substance and an evanescent wave of tapered POF with the coating layers. The results showed that graphene coating on the tapered POF increased the selectivity coefficient of the tapered POF towards lard substance from 33.54 to 324.19, and it gave a sensitivity of 0.427 dBm/%. In comparison, multi-walled carbon nanotubes coating increased the selectivity coefficient to 71.65 and increased its sensitivity to 1.189dBm/%. Thus, the proposed configuration of the tapered POF with the coating material offered a simple configuration for a rapid, high sensitivity and selectivity detection of lard adulterant in edible oils.

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