Side-polished plastic optical fibre as refractive index, cure and viscosity sensor

Abstract

Sensors based on side-polished plastic optical fibre are presented. To enhance the sensitivity to a certain physical parameter, the guiding properties of an optical fibre have to be weakened. Side-polishing technique offers a simple implementation, since the mechanical resistance of the POF allows an easy removal of a portion of the jacket, cladding and core. Three sensors are characterized under a wide range of external refractive indexes. Both, theoretical and experimental results show that the range of operation of the refractive index sensor can be shifted by using different geometries or different macrobending conditions of the sensitive area. The phenomenon behind the principle of operation of the sensor is the reflection and transmission of light at an interface of two dielectric media expressed by Fresnel's equations. The use of this intrinsic scheme to monitor the cure process of a material or the viscosity of a liquid is also presented. The changes in refractive index are used to monitor, in real time, the cure of different materials such as resins and varnishes because the optical properties of the material can be related to the density of the material. The viscosity of a liquid is related to the droplet formation in a convexly bended sensor.