Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
3.4
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications
materials-logo
Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 12621

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Asunción Illarramendi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Physics I, Engineering School of Bilbao, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain
Interests: fluorescent and luminescent materials; dye-doped polymers; fiber optics; polymer optical fiber; fiber optics amplifiers; fiber oscillators and lasers; fluorescent fiber solar concentrators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer optical fibers (POFs) are of great interest due to their applications as short communications links and sensing. Doped with suitable functional materials, POFs can be used as active devices such as light sources, illuminators, optical amplifiers, optical switches, fluorescent sensors, or solar concentrators. One of the added advantages of POFs compared to their glass counterparts is their higher flexibility and resistance to bending with larger diameters. Besides, the fabrication technology is also simpler and cheaper, even in the case of doped fibers. Specifically, the much lower manufacturing temperatures of POFs make it possible to embed a wide variety of functional dopants into the fiber core, including organic dyes, conjugated polymers, rare earth ions, quantum dots, and noble metal nanoparticles. These materials have properties that can be readily employed to tailor the optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of the host fibers with great versatility.

This Special Issue will focus on developments for the fabrication and characterization of POFs, including new polymers and dopants and new fiber structures. The Special Issue will also be focused on novel applications of both passive and active POFs. Of particular interest are the fibers, and their corresponding set-ups, oriented to risk-prevention systems and structural-health monitoring, healthcare, and biomedicine, care for the environment and prevention of natural disasters, photonic devices, and renewable energies, among other applications.

You are invited to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Maria Asunción Illarramendi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer optical fibers
  • doped polymer fibers
  • polymer-fiber fabrication
  • polymer-fiber materials
  • polymer-fiber sensors
  • polymer-fiber gratings
  • polymer-fiber light sources
  • polymer-fiber random lasers
  • polymer-fiber amplifiers
  • polymer optical nanofibers
  • fluorescent polymer-fiber solar concentrators

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 2987 KiB  
Article
POF-Based Solar Concentrators Incorporating Dyes and Europium Chelates
by Ander Vieira, Jon Arrue, Begoña García-Ramiro, Felipe Jiménez, María Asunción Illarramendi and Joseba Zubia
Materials 2021, 14(10), 2667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14102667 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
In this paper, useful models that enable time-efficient computational analyses of the performance of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are developed and thoroughly described. These LSCs are based on polymer optical fibers codoped with organic dyes and/or europium chelates. The interest in such dopants [...] Read more.
In this paper, useful models that enable time-efficient computational analyses of the performance of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are developed and thoroughly described. These LSCs are based on polymer optical fibers codoped with organic dyes and/or europium chelates. The interest in such dopants lies in the availability of new dyes with higher quantum yields and in the photostability and suitable absorption and emission bands of europium chelates. Time-efficiency without compromising accuracy is especially important for the simulation of europium chelates, in which non-radiative energy transfers from the absorbing ligands to the europium ion and vice versa are so fast that the discretization in time, in the absence of some simplifying assumptions, would have to be very fine. Some available experimental results are also included for the sake of comparison. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 2592 KiB  
Article
Wearable Wrist Movement Monitoring Using Dual Surface-Treated Plastic Optical Fibers
by Jing Li, Jian Liu, Cheng Li, Hui Zhang and Yizuo Li
Materials 2020, 13(15), 3291; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13153291 - 24 Jul 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2241
Abstract
Regarding high-sensitivity human wrist joint motion monitoring in exercise rehabilitation; we develop a pair of novel wearable and sensitivity-enhanced plastic optical fiber (POF) strain sensors consisting of an etched grating fiber and a side-polished fiber stitched into a polyamide wrist brace. The two [...] Read more.
Regarding high-sensitivity human wrist joint motion monitoring in exercise rehabilitation; we develop a pair of novel wearable and sensitivity-enhanced plastic optical fiber (POF) strain sensors consisting of an etched grating fiber and a side-polished fiber stitched into a polyamide wrist brace. The two flexible and surface-treated fibers are; respectively; featured with an etched periodic gratings with a pitch of 6 mm and a depth of 0.5 mm and a D-shaped side-polished zone of ~300 µm depth and ~30 mm length; which, correspondingly, show the sensitivities of around 0.0176/° and 0.0167/° in a normalized bending angle by far larger than a conventional commercial POF, because it achieves a more sensitive strain-induced evanescent field interaction with the side-machined fibers. Moreover, in terms of the sensor response to bending deformation in the range of −40°~+40°, the former exhibits a better sensitivity in lower angle change, while the latter is superior as the bending angle increases; thereby arranging the two modified POFs separately at the side and back of the human wrist, in order to decouple the wrist joint behaviors induced by typical flexion-extension or abduction-adduction movements. Then, the circular and pentagonal wrist motion trajectory patterns are investigated, to demonstrate the maximum average single-axis motion error of 2.94° via the transformation of spatial angle to plane coordinate for the fabricated couple of POF sensors, which is lower than a recognized standard of 5°, thus suggesting the great potential in wearable exercise rehabilitation of human joints in the field of medical treatment and healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 5855 KiB  
Article
Refractive-Index Profile Reconstruction in Graded-Index Polymer Optical Fibers Using Raman Spectroscopy
by Mikel Azkune, Angel Ortega-Gomez, Igor Ayesta and Joseba Zubia
Materials 2020, 13(10), 2251; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13102251 - 14 May 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2075
Abstract
This work reports a novel method to create a 3D map of the refractive index of different graded-index polymer optical fibers (GI-POF), measuring the Raman spectra at different points of their transverse sections. Raman fingerprints provide accurate molecular information of the sample with [...] Read more.
This work reports a novel method to create a 3D map of the refractive index of different graded-index polymer optical fibers (GI-POF), measuring the Raman spectra at different points of their transverse sections. Raman fingerprints provide accurate molecular information of the sample with high spatial resolution. The refractive index of GI-POFs is modified by adding a dopant in the preform; therefore, by recording the intensities of the Raman peaks related to the dopant material, a 3D map of the refractive index is rendered. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of the method, three different GI-POFs were characterized and the obtained results were compared with the information provided by the manufacturers. The results show accurate 3D maps of the refractive index taken in the actual GI-POF end faces, showing different imperfections that manufacturers do not take into account, such as the slight deviations of the azimuthal symmetry. The simplicity and the feasibility of the technique mean this method has high potential for fiber characterization purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 5975 KiB  
Article
Homogeneous Distribution of Polymerizable Coumarin Dyes for Active Few Mode POF
by Florian Jakobs, Kristoffer Harms, Jana Kielhorn, Daniel Zaremba, Pen Yiao Ang, Wolfgang Kowalsky and Hans-Hermann Johannes
Materials 2020, 13(8), 1975; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13081975 - 23 Apr 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1964
Abstract
For most kinds of active polymer optical fibers, a homogeneous distribution of dye molecules over the entire fiber length and cross section is required. In this study, chemical bonding of dyes to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by copolymerization is achieved within the polymerization [...] Read more.
For most kinds of active polymer optical fibers, a homogeneous distribution of dye molecules over the entire fiber length and cross section is required. In this study, chemical bonding of dyes to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by copolymerization is achieved within the polymerization process instead of dissolving the dyes in the monomers. In combination with an improved fabrication mechanism, this leads to homogeneous dye distribution within the preforms. A method for proving the integration of the dyes into the polymer chains has been developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Prestructured core-cladding preforms with dye-doped poly(cylohexyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate)-core have been prepared with the Teflon string technique and were heat-drawn to few mode fibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 2336 KiB  
Review
Challenges in the Fabrication of Biodegradable and Implantable Optical Fibers for Biomedical Applications
by Agnieszka Gierej, Thomas Geernaert, Sandra Van Vlierberghe, Peter Dubruel, Hugo Thienpont and Francis Berghmans
Materials 2021, 14(8), 1972; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14081972 - 15 Apr 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3547
Abstract
The limited penetration depth of visible light in biological tissues has encouraged researchers to develop novel implantable light-guiding devices. Optical fibers and waveguides that are made from biocompatible and biodegradable materials offer a straightforward but effective approach to overcome this issue. In the [...] Read more.
The limited penetration depth of visible light in biological tissues has encouraged researchers to develop novel implantable light-guiding devices. Optical fibers and waveguides that are made from biocompatible and biodegradable materials offer a straightforward but effective approach to overcome this issue. In the last decade, various optically transparent biomaterials, as well as different fabrication techniques, have been investigated for this purpose, and in view of obtaining fully fledged optical fibers. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in the development of biocompatible and biodegradable optical fibers. Whilst several reviews that focus on the chemical properties of the biomaterials from which these optical waveguides can be made have been published, a systematic review about the actual optical fibers made from these materials and the different fabrication processes is not available yet. This prompted us to investigate the essential properties of these biomaterials, in view of fabricating optical fibers, and in particular to look into the issues related to fabrication techniques, and also to discuss the challenges in the use and operation of these optical fibers. We close our review with a summary and an outline of the applications that may benefit from these novel optical waveguides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Optical Fibers: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop