Ultra-stretchable elastomeric suspended-core optical fibers for wearable sensing applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Stretchable optical fibers are crucial for wearable sensing due to flexibility and EMI immunity.
• Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) offer design versatility but face fabrication challenges.
• Existing research often focuses on conventional step-index fibers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate an elastomeric suspended-core MOF using SEBS.
• To achieve precise geometrical control during fabrication via thermal drawing.
• To validate its performance for wearable sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an elastomeric suspended-core MOF using styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS).
• Utilized the preform-to-fiber thermal drawing process for precise structural control.
• Characterized optical transmission loss, mechanical strain tolerance, and optomechanical sensitivity.

Main Results:

• Achieved low optical transmission loss (0.0621 dB/cm at 550 nm).
• Demonstrated exceptional mechanical robustness up to 500% strain.
• Exhibited superior optomechanical sensitivity under pressure and bending.

Conclusions:

• The SEBS-based elastomeric MOF is suitable for advanced wearable sensing.
• Validated applications in robotic tactile sensing, data gloves for gesture recognition, and respiratory monitoring.
• Presents a multifunctional platform for next-generation optical sensors in robotics, human-machine interfaces, and biomedical monitoring.