Hydrophilic cladding fiber based on silicone hydrogel for temperature, humidity, and salinity detection

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Developing advanced optical fibers for environmental sensing is crucial.
• Silicone hydrogels offer biocompatibility and responsiveness to environmental stimuli.
• Liquid cores in optical fibers allow for tunable optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and characterize a novel hydrophilic cladding optical fiber based on silicone hydrogel (HCF-SH).
• To investigate the potential of HCF-SH for real-time environmental monitoring applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hydrophilic cladding optical fiber using copolymeric silicone hydrogel cladding and a 98% glycerol core.
• Characterization of the fiber's optical properties and its response to environmental changes (temperature, humidity, salinity).

Main Results:

• The HCF-SH demonstrated sensitive responses to temperature, humidity, and salinity.
• The silicone hydrogel cladding modulated total internal reflection and optical transmission based on environmental changes.
• The glycerol core provided stability and a significant refractive-index contrast for efficient light propagation.

Conclusions:

• The HCF-SH is a promising platform for real-time environmental monitoring due to its sensitive response and tunable properties.
• The fiber's biocompatibility and responsive nature make it suitable for various sensing applications, including biomedical sensing.