Dual-channel fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance sensor with cascaded coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure

To address the restriction of fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensors in the field of multi-sample detection, a novel dual-channel fiber-optic SPR sensor based on the cascade of coaxial dual-waveguide D-type structure and microsphere structure is proposed in this paper. The fiber sidepolishing technique converts the coaxial dual-waveguide fiber into a D-type one, and the evanescent wave in the ring core leaks, generating a D-type sensing region;the fiber optic fused ball push technology converts the coaxial dual waveguides into microspheres, and the stimulated cladding mode evanescent wave leaks, producing the microsphere sensing region. By injecting light into the coaxial dual-waveguide middle core alone, the sensor can realize single-stage sensing in the microsphere sensing area;it can also realize dual-channel sensing in the D-type sensing area and microsphere sensing area by injecting light into the ring core. The refractive index measurement ranges for the two channels are 1.333–1.365 and 1.375–1.405, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 981.56 nm/RIU and 4138 nm/RIU. The sensor combines wavelength division multiplexing and space division multiplexing technologies, presenting a novel research concept for multi-channel fiber SPR sensors.

All-Fiber Liquid-Level Sensor Based on In-Line MSM Fiber Structure

We propose and demonstrate an all-fiber liquid-level sensor using an in-line multimode-single-mode-multimode (MSM) fiber structure. A piece of single-mode fiber (SMF) is spliced to two sections of equivalent multimode fiber (MMF) which are used as both mode splitter and mode coupler. The cladding mode will be excited when the light propagates from MMF to SMF, and then it will be combined with fundamental mode to form a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) when the light propagates from SMF to the other MMF. The liquid level is detected by the selected resonant dips shift of the transmission spectrum. A sensing sensitivity of 264.6 pm/mm is achieved for the proposed sensor with an SMF length of 26mm. Due to its compact structure, easy fabrication, and high sensitivity, the proposed liquid-level sensor is attractive for practical applications in a variety of fields, such as marine detection and chemical processing.

Modal interferometer based on tapering single-mode-multimode-single-mode fiber structure by hydrogen flame

A modal interferometer is experimentally demonstrated based on tapering a single-mode-multimode-single- mode （SMS） fiber structure heated by hydrogen flame. The interference fringe begins to form when tapering length is 19.8 mm, and becomes regular and clear when the tapering length is longer and the tapered waist diameter is smaller. Annealing process is undertaken to achieve a high extension ratio of approximately 17 dB with free spectral range of 1.5 nm when the tapering length is 33 mm and the tapered waist diameter is approximately 5 μm. The temperature and axial strain dependences of the tapered SMS structure are characterized, and the measured temperature and strain coefficients are ＋7 pm/℃ and -9.536 pm/με, respectively.

Simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature based on twisted fiber structure

In this Letter, an alternative solution is proposed and demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature. This sensor consists of two twisted points on a commercial single mode fiber introduced by flame-heated and rotation treatment. The fabrication process modifies the geometrical configuration and refractive index of the fiber. Different cladding modes are excited at the first twisted point, and part of them are coupled back to the fiber core at the second twisted point. Experimental results show distinct sensitivities of 34.9 pm/με with 49.23 pm/℃ and -36.19 pm/με with 62.99 pm/℃ for the two selected destructive interference wavelengths.

Radio Fiber Fine Structure During the Solar Flare on July 14, 2000

On July 14, 2000, a type IV solar radio burst was observed at 10:43-11:00 UT with the 1-2 GHz digital spectrometer of National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). Many fiber fine structures superposed on the type IV burst were detected in the same interval. A theoretical interpretation for the fibers is performed based upon a model of magnetic-mirror loop configuration in the solar corona. In this model, the source of the fiber emission is considered as the ducting of whistler solitons within the magnetic-mirror loop. A quantitative estimation using the observed data indicats that the magnetic field strength of the radio source is about 1.451×10 -2≤B 0≤2.734×10 -2 T, and that a fiber is composed of 4×10 15 solitons occupying a volume of about 1.2×108 km3. For the duct through which the whistler solitons passed within the magnetic-mirror loop, its diameter and the length are worked out, namely, d≈120 km and Δr≈104 km, respectively.

Concurrent multi-scale design optimization of composite frame structures using the Heaviside penalization of discrete material model

This paper deals with the concurrent multi-scale optimization design of frame structure composed of glass or carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates. In the composite frame structure, the fiber winding angle at the micro-material scale and the geometrical parameter of components of the frame in the macro-structural scale are introduced as the independent variables on the two geometrical scales. Considering manufacturing requirements, discrete fiber winding angles are specified for the micro design variable. The improved Heaviside penalization discrete material optimization interpolation scheme has been applied to achieve the discrete optimization design of the fiber winding angle. An optimization model based on the minimum structural compliance and the specified fiber material volume constraint has been established. The sensitivity information about the two geometrical scales design variables are also deduced considering the characteristics of discrete fiber winding angles. The optimization results of the fiber winding angle or the macro structural topology on the two single geometrical scales, together with the concurrent two-scale optimization, is separately studied and compared in the paper. Numerical examples in the paper show that the concurrent multi-scale optimization can further explore the coupling effect between the macro-structure and micro-material of the composite to achieve an ultralight design of the composite frame structure. The novel two geometrical scales optimization model provides a new opportunity for the design of composite structure in aerospace and other industries.

Heterogeneous fiberous structured Mg-Zn-Zr alloy with superior strength-ductility synergy

Here we reported a heterogeneous fiberous structured Mg-5.6Zn-0.6Zr(wt%)alloy obtained by conventional extrusion method,which exhibited high yield strength of∼345 MPa,ultimate tensile strength of∼370 MPa,and high tensile strain of∼20.5%,superior to most of the Mg-Zn based alloys reported so far.The extraordinarily high mechanical properties were mainly attributed to the heterogeneous fiberous structure consisting of alternating coarse-and fine-grain layers.Grains in the different layers grew into the neighboring layers,ensuring a good layer bonding.A high Schmid factor and geometric compatibility factor for pyramidal slip led to full slip transfer between the neighboring coarse grains and fine grains,which could help to release the stress concentration and avoid early fracture.The profuse acti-vated<c+a>glide dislocations could render the unprecedented high tensile strain.The constraint by the hard fine-grain domains made the soft coarse-grain domains strong like the hard fine-grain domains,as well as the nanoscale precipitates pinning dislocations,contributed to the high strength.The hetero-geneous microstructure design was shown to have synergistic improvement in strength-ductility balance,which could be an inspiring strategy to improve mechanical properties of hexagonal close-packed(hcp)metals.

Density Functional Based Tight Binding (DFTB) Study on the Thermal Evolution of Amorphous Carbon

Density functional based tight binding (DFTB) model is employed to study the sp3-to-sp2 transformation of diamond-like carbon at elevated temperatures. The understanding could lead to the direct-growth of graphene on a wide variety of substrates.

A Numerical Study of Densification Behavior of Silicon Carbide Matrix Composites in Isothermal Chemical Vapor Infiltration

We studied the characteristics of two-scale pore structure of preform in the deposition process and the mass transfer of reactant gas in dual-scale pores, and observed the physiochemical phenomenon associated with the reaction. Thereby, we established mathematical models on two scales, respectively, preform and reactor. These models were used for the numerical simulation of the process of ceramic matrix composites densified by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration(ICVI). The models were used to carry out a systematic study on the influence of process conditions and the preform structure on the densification behaviors. The most important findings of our study are that the processing time could be reduced by about 50% without compromising the quality of the material, if the processing temperature is 950-1 000 ℃ for the first 70 hours and then raised to 1 100 ℃.

Research on optical fiber magnetic field sensors based on multi-mode fiber and spherical structure

A magnetic field sensor with a magnetic fluid(MF)-coated intermodal interferometer is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The interferometer is formed by sandwiching a segment of single mode fiber(SMF) between a segment of multi-mode fiber(MMF) and a spherical structure. It can be considered as a cascade of the traditional SMF-MMF-SMF structure and MMF-SMF-sphere structure. The transmission spectral characteristics change with the variation of applied magnetic field. The experimental results exhibit that the magnetic field sensitivities for wavelength and transmission loss are 0.047 nm/m T and 0.215 d B/m T for the interference dip around 1 535.36 nm. For the interference dip around 1548.41 nm,the sensitivities are 0.077 nm/m T and 0.243 d B/m T. Simultaneous measurement can be realized according to the different spectral responses.

Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of azodyes catalyzed by modified polyacrylonitrile fiber Fe complexes: QSPR (quantitative structure peorperty relationship) study

The amidoximated polyacrylonitrile （PAN） fiber Fe complexeswere prepared and used as the heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for thedegradation of28 anionicwater soluble azodyes inwater under visible irradiation. The multiple linear regression （MLR） methodwas employed todevelop the quantitative structure property relationship （QSPR） model equations for thedecoloration and mineralization of azodyes. Moreover, the predictive ability of the QSPR model equationswas assessed using Leave-one-out （LOO） and cross-validation （CV） methods. Additionally, the effect of Fe content of catalyst and the sodium chloride inwater on QSPR model equationswere also investigated. The results indicated that the heterogeneous photo-Fentondegradation of the azodyeswithdifferent structureswas conducted in the presence of the amidoximated PAN fiber Fe complex. The QSPR model equations for thedyedecoloration and mineralizationwere successfullydeveloped using MLR technique. MW/S （molecularweightdivided by the number of sulphonate groups） and N N=N （the number of azo linkage） are considered as the most importantdetermining factor for thedyedegradation and mineralization, and there is a significant negative correlation between MW/S or N N=N anddegradation percentage or total organic carbon （TOC） removal. Moreover, LOO and CV analysis suggested that the obtained QSPR model equations have the better prediction ability. The variation in Fe content of catalyst and the addition of sodium chloridedid not alter the nature of the QSPR model equations.

Case studies of high-sensitivity monitoring of natural and engineered slopes

High-sensitivity monitoring solutions are crucial for early warning systems of earth structures. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of such systems for natural and engineered slopes using two case studies. At the Gradenbach Observatory, one key element of the monitoring system is a large fiber optic strain rosette embedded in the slope. We demonstrate that the strain rosette can depict landslide deformations much earlier than geodetic sensors like GPS or total stations and is therefore well suitable for an early warning system. In a second application we report the construction of a reinforced earth structure using geogrids. A distributed fiber optic measurement system was installed to measure the current operating grade of the geogrids within the earth structure. About 2 km of Brillouin sensing cables were installed in the project area. It is demonstrated that the developed monitoring system is well suited for assessing the current state of health of reinforced earth structures.

Self-starting simple structured dual-wavelength mode- locked erbium-doped fiber laser using a transmission-type semiconductor saturable absorber

A self-starting simple structured dual-wavelength passively mode-locked （ML） erbium-doped fiber （EDF） laser is proposed in this Letter. An all-fiber ring cavity is adopted and a transmission-type semiconductor saturable absorber is used as modelocker. In this laser, there are two gain humps located at the 1530 nm region and the 1550 nm region, respectively. Along with the length of EDF increasing, the intensity of the hump at 1530 nm region is gradually suppressed because of the re-absorption of emission by the ground state. With the proper length of EDF, the gain intensities of two regions are very close. When the pump power is above the ML threshold, the self-starting dual-wavelength ML operation is achieved easily without manual adjustment. The two spectral peaks with close intensities are located at 1532 and 1552 nm, respectively. The effect of intracavity dispersion on the output spectrum is also experimentally demonstrated.

Tunable fiber laser based on a cascaded structure consisting of in-line MZI and traditional MZI

A tunable erbium-doped fiber(EDF) laser with a cascaded structure consisting of in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer(MZI) and traditional MZI is proposed. The transmission spectrum of the in-line MZI is modulated by the traditional MZI, which determines the period of the cascaded structure, while the in-line MZI's transmission spectrum is the outer envelope curve of the cascaded structure's transmission spectrum. A stable single-wavelength lasing operation is obtained at 1 527.14 nm. The linewidth is less than 0.07 nm with a side-mode suppression ratio(SMSR) over 48 d B. Fixing the in-line MZI structure on a furnace, when the temperature changes from 30 °C to 230 °C, the central wavelength can be tuned within the range of 12.4 nm.

Enhanced zinc storage performance of mixed valent manganese oxide for flexible coaxial fiber zinc-ion battery by limited reduction control

While manganese-based cathodes have been intensively studied for zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs),the limited rate capability and cycle life have always been a difficult problem to be solved.Here,we report a mixed valent manganese oxide(MnOx)cathode with superior electrochemical performance,which exhibits a high specific capacity of 450 mA h/g at 0.2 C and a satisfactory specific capacity of 158.3 mA h/g at a high rate of 5 C.The mixed cathode system reduces the charge transfer resistance,and show good surface stability and adsorption properties,so it is beneficial for the storage of Zn^(2+).Meanwhile,coaxial fiber ZIBs(CFZIBs)with splendid flexibility are assembled utilizing the elaborately prepared cathode material.The CFZIBs achieve a reversible capacity of 255.8 m A h/g and the capacity retention rate is as high as 80%after 1000 bending deformations.This study provides new opportunities for designing ZIBs with high performance and high flexibility.

Superelastic wire-shaped supercapacitor sustaining 850% tensile strain based on carbon nanotube@graphene fiber

Stretchable and flexible supercapacitors are highly desired due to their many potential applications in wearable devices. However, it is challenging to fabricate supercapacitors that can withstand large tensile strain while maintaining high performance. Herein, we report an ultra-stretchable wire-shaped supercapacitor based on carbon nanotube@graphene@MnO2 fibers wound around a superelastic core fiber. The supercapacitor can sustain tensile strain up to 850%, which is the highest value reported for this type of device to date, while maintaining stable electrochemical performance. The energy density of the supercapacitor is 3.37 mWh·cm^-3 at a power density of 54.0 mW·cm^-3. The results show that 82% of the specific capacitance is retained after 1,000 stretch-release cycles with strains of 700%, demonstrating the superior durability of the elastic supercapacitor and showcasing its potential application in ultra-stretchable flexible electronics.

Anodic Oxidation on Structural Evolution and Tensile Properties of Polyacrylonitrile Based Carbon Fibers with Different Surface Morphology

Polyacrylonitrile （PAN） based carbon fibers with different surface morphology were electrochemically treated in 3 wt% NH4HCO3 aqueous solution with current density up to 3.47 A/m 2 at room temperature, and surface structures, surface morphology and residual mechanical properties were characterized. The crystallite size （La） of carbon fibers would be interrupted due to excessive electrochemical etching, while the crystallite spacing （d（002）） increased as increasing current density. The disordered structures on the surface of carbon fiber with rough surface increased at the initial oxidation stage and then removed by further electrochemical etching, which resulting in continuous increase of the extent of graphitization on the fiber surface. However, the electrochemical etching was beneficial to getting ordered morphology on the surface for carbon fiber with smooth surface, especially when the current density was lower than 1.77 A/m 2 . The tensile strength and tensile modulus could be improved by 17.27% and 5.75%, respectively, and was dependent of surface morphology. The decreasing density of carbon fibers probably resulted from the volume expansion of carbon fibers caused by the abundant oxygen functional groups intercalated between the adjacent graphite layers.

Self-supported copper-based gas diffusion electrodes improve the local CO_(2)concentration for efficient electrochemical CO_(2)reduction

Electrochemical CO_(2)reduction is a sustainable approach in green chemistry that enables the production of valuable chemicals and fuels while mitigating the environmental impact associated with CO_(2)emissions.Despite its several advantages,this technology suffers from an intrinsically low CO_(2)solubility in aqueous solutions,resulting in a lower local CO_(2)concentration near the electrode,which yields lower current densities and restricts product selectivity.Gas diffusion electrodes(GDEs),particularly those with tubular architectures,can solve these issues by increasing the local CO_(2)concentration and triple-phase interface,providing abundant electroactive sites to achieve superior reaction rates.In this study,robust and self-supported Cu flow-through gas diffusion electrodes(FTGDEs)were synthesized for efficient formate production via electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.They were further compared with traditional Cu electrodes,and it was found that higher local CO_(2)concentration due to improved mass transfer,the abundant surface area available for the generation of the triple-phase interface,and the porous structure of Cu FTGDEs enabled high formate Faradaic efficiency(76%)and current density(265 mA¸cm^(−2))at–0.9 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)in 0.5 mol·L^(−1)KHCO3.The combined phase inversion and calcination process of the Cu FTGDEs helped maintain a stable operation for several hours.The catalytic performance of the Cu FTGDEs was further investigated in a non-gas diffusion configuration to demonstrate the impact of local gas concentration on the activity and performance of electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.This study demonstrates the potential of flow-through gas-diffusion electrodes to enhance reaction kinetics for the highly efficient and selective reduction of CO_(2),offering promising applications in sustainable electrochemical processes.