Fabrication and characterization of polycarbonate microstructured polymer optical fibers for high-temperature-resistant fiber Bragg grating strain sensors

Abstract

Abstract:Here we present the fabrication of a solid-core microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) made of polycarbonate (PC), and report the first experimental demonstration of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) written in a PC optical fiber. The PC used in this work has a glass transition temperature of 145°C. We also characterize the mPOF optically and mechanically, and further test the sensitivity of the PC FBG to strain and temperature. We demonstrate that the PC FBG can bear temperatures as high as 125°C without malfunctioning. In contrast, polymethyl methacrylate-based FBG technology is generally limited to temperatures below 90°C. ©2016 Optical Society of America

Fast and stable gratings inscription in POFs made of different materials with pulsed 248 nm KrF laser

“…PC has a T g of 145°C, which is higher that of Topas 5013 and Zeonex 480R [8]. Furthermore, PC POFs can withstand higher stresses when compared with PMMA and Topas POFs [8].…”

“…In addition, the biocompatibility and non-brittle nature of POFs means that they are clinically acceptable and can be employed in in-vivo applications [6]. Such advantages of POF sensors enable their application to measure parameters like temperature [7], strain [8], humidity [9], curvature [10], acceleration [11], and liquid level [12]. Furthermore, POF sensors are employed in biomedical applications such as antibody [13,14] and glucose sensors [15].…”

“…However, PMMA has a low glass transition temperature (T g ) compared to some of the other polymer materials for fiber fabrication, such as polycarbonate (PC), which can limit its application at higher temperatures [8]. Furthermore, the higher moisture absorption capability of PMMA can harm its application in temperature or strain sensing where a humidity cross-sensitivity is undesirable [16].…”

“…In addition to the aforementioned POF materials, polycarbonate (PC) polymer can also be used for fiber fabrication [25]. PC has a T g of 145°C, which is higher that of Topas 5013 and Zeonex 480R [8]. Furthermore, PC POFs can withstand higher stresses when compared with PMMA and Topas POFs [8].…”

L-band CYTOP Bragg gratings for ultrasound sensing

“…To date, both PMMA and TOPAS, a cyclic olefin co-polymer, have been preliminarily examined for ultrasound detection, in interferometric [3] and later fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensing modalities [8]. Other polymers such as CYTOP [7], polycarbonate [9] and Zeonex [10] have not yet been considered.…”