Polymer Microtip on a Multimode Optical Fiber as a Threshold Volatile Organic Compounds Sensor

Abstract

Polymer microtips are 3D microstructures manufactured on the end face of an optical fiber by using the photopolymerization process. Such micro-optic elements made on a multi-mode optical fiber were previously tested as a transducer of refractive index sensor. These studies were an inspiration to investigate the possibility of using this type of transducer to measure the presence of volatile organic compounds in the air. The experimental results of microtips polymerized with UV and VIS were reported. It was possible to detect the presence of five different volatile compounds in the air due to the sensitivity of the transducer to the refractive indices changes. These changes were induced by the vapors condensed on the microtip surface. The measured time responses have shown that the return loss decreases rapidly as the microtip is inserted inside a glass vial filled with the tested compound. Moreover, correlations between calculated dynamic ranges and refractive indices and volumes of the volatile compounds inside the vials were negligible. Therefore, this type of sensor can be categorized as a condensed material threshold sensor. This sensor can be used in warning systems for monitoring leakages of pipelines carrying volatile chemicals.

Spectral properties of selected antiresonant fibers coupled with standard optical fibers by means of polymer microtips

“…Polymer microtip manufactured at the end face of optical fiber were previously used to optical fibers coupling 7,8 , as a head of SNOM microscope 9 and as a transducer of an optical fiber sensors 10,11 . Relatively easy fabrication process based on highly available chemical compounds and a simple optical set up allow to use these microelements in various applications.…”

“…Relatively easy fabrication process based on highly available chemical compounds and a simple optical set up allow to use these microelements in various applications. *monika.zuchowska@wat.edu.pl; phone +48 261 839 424; fax +48 261 839 317 During previous research the reflective properties of microtips dedicated to optical fiber senores were extensively studied 10,11 . However, in this paper the transmission properties of microtips were used to check how divergent light excites modes in the selected ARFs and how these influences on spectral characteristics of them.…”

Micro-lab on tip: Michelson interference and Fabry-Perot interference cascade dual-core optical fiber sensor

“…In 2015, Pura et al [7], discussed the influence of process parameters on the microtip characteristics of different types of optical fiber end for sensing application. Although the photopolymer microtips can be applied to fiber coupling [8], beam shaping [9], and sensing [10], the connection between the photosensitive material microtip and the quartz-based optical fiber is not strong. Recently, the optical fiber splicing machine has been used to obtain structurally-robust microtip on the end face of the fiber.…”

Curvature prediction of long‐period fibre grating based on random forest regression

“…Unlike a fibre Bragg grating (FBG), the LPFG has a relatively long grating period, and the fundamental and cladding modes of the core transmitting in the same direction fulfil the phase matching conditions. This feature makes the resonant wavelength and amplitude of the LPFG extremely sensitive to changes in the external environment, enabling measurements of the refractive index [4,5], temperature [6], strain [7], curvature [8], torque [9] and other parameters.…”