An Optical Fiber Sensor for Simultaneous Measurement of pO2 and pH

Whether in the monitoring of critically ill patients such as shock, respiratory failure, brain injury, or in major anesthesia surgeries, it is necessary to evaluate the patient’s pO2 and pH. An optical fiber sensor presented is capable of monitoring the presence of oxygen partial pressure (pO2) and pH in the real-time. The sensor is based on fluorescence sensing of polymer immobilized in the oxygen/pH-sensitive membranes and covalently attached to the optical fiber probe. The design of this sensor uses LED as light source, which is an excitation light source, inducing specific wavelengths of fluorescence on the oxygen/pH-sensitive membrane. The intensity and lifetime of fluorescence are related to the pO2 and pH. So the pO2 and pH can be measured by the relationship between the pO2/pH values and the intensity and lifetime of fluorescence. The signal conditioning system based on DSP and STM32 was used to store and process data, and display test values. The response of the sensor for pO2 and pH monitoring with nitrogen (N2) as a balancing gas in the laboratory was performed. Finally, the oxygen/pH sensing scheme presented in this work is intended for using in biological, medical and environmental applications.

A Fiber Optic Sensor for the Simultaneous Measurement of Dual-parameter Based on Hydrogel-immobilized Enzyme Complex

A novel fiber optic sensor based on hydrogel-immobilized enzyme complex was developed for the simultaneous measurement of dual-parameter,the leap from a single parameter detecting fiber optic sensor to a fiber optic sensor that can continuously detect two kinds of parameters was achieved.By controlling the temperature from high to low,the function of fiber sulfide sensor and fiber DCP sensor can be realized,so as to realize the continuous detection of dual-parameter.The different variables affecting the sensor performance were evaluated and optimized.Under the optimal conditions,the response curves,linear detection ranges,detection limits and response times of the dual-parameter sensor for testing sulfide and DCP were obtained,respectively.The sensor displays high selectivity,good repeatability and stability,which have good potentials in analyzing sulfide and DCP concentration of practical water samples.

A Fiber Optic Sensor for 2,4-dichlorophenol Analysis based on Optical Composite Oxygen-sensitive Film

A novel fiber optic sensor based on optical composite oxygen-sensitive film was developed for determination of 2,4-dichlorophenol(DCP).The optical composite oxygen-sensitive film consists of tris(2,2’-bipyridyl)dichloro ruthenium(II)hexahydrate(Ru(bpy)3Cl2)as the fluorescence indicator and iron(III)tetrasulfophthalocyanine(Fe(III)PcTs)as bionic enzyme.A lock-in amplifier was used for detecting the lifetime of the composite oxygen-sensitive film by measuring the phase delay of the sensor head.The different variables affecting the sensor performance were evaluated and optimized.Under the optimal conditions(i e,pH 6.0,25℃,Fe(III)PcTs concentration of 5.0×10^-5 mol/L),the linear detection range,detection limit and response time of the fiber optic sensor are 3.0×10^-7-9.0×10^-5 mol/L,4.8×10^-8 mol/L(S/N=3),and 220 s,respectively.The sensor displays high selectivity,good repeatability and stability,which have good potentials in analyzing DCP concentration in practical water samples.

Modeling, Simulation and Experimental Studies of Refractometric Fiber Optic Sensor

Refractometric fiber optic sensors have a number of applications in industry due to advantages like remote sensing ability, compact size, easy to fit, etc. A refractometric sensor contains a pair of parallel fibers and a gap between the sensor probe and reflector, wherein the liquid whose refractive index is to be measured is filled. This paper describes the importance of mathematical modeling of this sensor. Ray tracing approach is used to model the sensor mathematically. This mathematical model is generalized for any scenario which is useful to avoid tedious trial and error techniques to design the sensor prototype. Mathematical modelling is a useful tool to optimize the gap distance for a detection of refractive index of liquid. The model is developed and analyzed rigorously considering adulteration of diesel by kerosene where refractive index varies from 1.44 to 1.46. Simulation experiments are carried out to optimize the gap distance which is found to be 6.8 mm using both models. Experiments are carried out where sensor probe is fabricated and results are analyzed. It is observed that for suggested gap distance sensor output varies almost linear over the entire range.

Distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor for in situ monitoring of marine natural gas hydrates production for the first time in the Shenhu Area,China

The distributed acoustic sensor(DAS)uses a single optical cable as the sensing unit,which can capture the acoustic and vibration signals along the optical cable in real-time.So it is suitable for monitoring downhole production activities in the process of oil and gas development.The authors applied the DAS system in a gas production well in the South China Sea for in situ monitoring of the whole wellbore for the first time and obtained the distributed acoustic signals along the whole wellbore.These signals can clearly distinguish the vertical section,curve section,and horizontal production section.The collected acoustic signal with the frequency of approximately 50 Hz caused by the electric submersible pump exhibit a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 27 dB.By analyzing the acoustic signals in the production section,it can be located the layers with high gas production rates.Once an accurate physical model is built in the future,the gas production profile will be obtained.In addition,the DAS system can track the trajectory of downhole tools in the wellbore to guide the operation.Through the velocity analysis of the typical signals,the type of fluids in the wellbore can be distinguished.The successful application of the system provides a promising whole wellbore acoustic monitoring tool for the production of marine gas hydrate,with a good application prospect.

Practical Pattern Recognition System for Distributed Optical Fiber Intrusion Monitoring Based on Ф-COTDR

At present, the demand for perimeter security system is in-creasing greatly, especially for such system based on distribut-ed optical fiber sensing. This paper proposes a perimeter se-curity monitoring system based on phase-sensitive coherentoptical time domain reflectometry(Ф-COTDR) with the practi-cal pattern recognition function. We use fast Fourier trans-form(FFT) to exact features from intrusion events and a multi-class classification algorithm derived from support vector ma-chine(SVM) to work as a pattern recognition technique. Fivedifferent types of events are classified by using a classifica-tion algorithm based on SVM through a three-dimensional fea-ture vector. Moreover, the identification results of the patternrecognition system show that an identification accurate rate of92.62% on average can be achieved.

Femtosecond laser fabrication of nanograting-based distributed fiber sensors for extreme environmental applications

The femtosecond laser has emerged as a powerful tool for micro-and nanoscale device fabrication. Through nonlinear ionization processes, nanometer-sized material modifications can be inscribed in transparent materials for device fabrication. This paper describes femtosecond precision inscription of nanograting in silica fiber cores to form both distributed and point fiber sensors for sensing applications in extreme environmental conditions. Through the use of scanning electron microscope imaging and laser processing optimization,high-temperature stable, Type II femtosecond laser modifications were continuously inscribed,point by point, with only an insertion loss at 1 d B m~(-1) or 0.001 d B per point sensor device.High-temperature performance of fiber sensors was tested at 1000℃, which showed a temperature fluctuation of ±5.5℃ over 5 days. The low laser-induced insertion loss in optical fibers enabled the fabrication of a 1.4 m, radiation-resilient distributed fiber sensor. The in-pile testing of the distributed fiber sensor further showed that fiber sensors can execute stable and distributed temperature measurements in extreme radiation environments. Overall, this paper demonstrates that femtosecond-laser-fabricated fiber sensors are suitable measurement devices for applications in extreme environments.

3D printed fiber-optic nanomechanical bioprobe

Ultrasensitive nanomechanical instruments,e.g.atomic force microscopy(AFM),can be used to perform delicate biomechanical measurements and reveal the complex mechanical environment of biological processes.However,these instruments are limited because of their size and complex feedback system.In this study,we demonstrate a miniature fiber optical nanomechanical probe(FONP)that can be used to detect the mechanical properties of single cells and in vivo tissue measurements.A FONP that can operate in air and in liquids was developed by programming a microcantilever probe on the end face of a single-mode fiber using femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization nanolithography.To realize stiffness matching of the FONP and sample,a strategy of customizing the microcantilever’s spring constant according to the sample was proposed based on structure-correlated mechanics.As a proof-of concept,three FONPs with spring constants varying from 0.421 N m^(−1)to 52.6 N m^(−1)by more than two orders of magnitude were prepared.The highest microforce sensitivity was 54.5 nmμN^(−1)and the detection limit was 2.1 nN.The Young’s modulus of heterogeneous soft materials,such as polydimethylsiloxane,muscle tissue of living mice,onion cells,and MCF-7 cells,were successfully measured,which validating the broad applicability of this method.Our strategy provides a universal protocol for directly programming fiber-optic AFMs.Moreover,this method has no special requirements for the size and shape of living biological samples,which is infeasible when using commercial AFMs.FONP has made substantial progress in realizing basic biological discoveries,which may create new biomedical applications that cannot be realized by current AFMs.

Numerical study of a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor based on circular-lattice holey fiber

A new design of surface plasmon resonance(SPR)sensor employing circular-lattice holey fiber to achieve highsensitivity detection is proposed.The sensing performance of the proposed sensor is numerically investigated and the results indicate that our proposed SPR sensor can be applied to the near-mid infrared detection.Moreover,the maximum wavelength sensitivity of our proposed sensor can reach as high as 1.76×10^(4)nm/refractive index unit(RIU)and the maximum wavelength interrogation resolution can be up to 5.68×10^(-6)RIU when the refractive index(RI)of analyte lies in(1.31,1.36).Thanks to its excellent sensing performance,our proposed SPR sensor will have great potential applications for biological analytes detection,food safety control,bio-molecules detection and so on.

A Photonic Crystal Fiber Based Asymmetric Slotted Structured Highly Sensitive Refractive Index Plasmonic Biosensor

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors have grown in popularity owing to their sensitivity, precision, and capacity for a variety of applications, including detection, monitoring, and sensing, among others. Sensitivity and resolution are two areas where this technology has room for development. A plasmonic biosensor based on an asymmetric slotted PCF structure with extremely high sensitivity has been described and theoretically investigated. This high performance sensor is constructed and completely characterized using finite element method in COMSOL Multiphysics software environment. Sensitivity and resolution are analyzed as performance parameters for the proposed sensor. Numerical simulation exhibits the maximum wavelength-sensitivity of 1100 nm/RIU with 9.09 × 10-6 RIU resolution in the broad measurement range of refractive index from 1.30 to 1.44. A polarization controller can be used to fine-tune this extremely sensitive and wide-ranging refractive index sensor to fulfil a variety of practical needs. This is performed with the consideration of the variation in the refractive index (RI) of the analyte channels. In comparison with earlier PCF-based sensors, the fiber design structure is basic, symmetrical, simple to produce, and cost-effective. Because of the asymmetric air holes and higher sensitivities of the refractive index detector, it is possible to identify biomolecules, biochemicals and other analytes.

Recent advances in optical fiber high-temperature sensors and encapsulation technique[Invited]

In the aerospace field,for aerospace engines and other high-end manufacturing equipment working in extreme environments,like ultrahigh temperatures,high pressure,and high-speed airflow,in situ temperature measurement is of great importance for improving the structure design and achieving the health monitoring and the fault diagnosis of critical parts.Optical fiber sensors have the advantages of small size,easy design,corrosion resistance,anti-electromagnetic interference,and the ability to achieve distributed or quasi-distributed sensing and have broad application prospects for temperature sensing in extreme environments.In this review,first,we introduce the current research status of fiber Bragg grating-type and Fabry–Perot interferometer-type high-temperature sensors.Then we review the optical fiber hightemperature sensor encapsulation techniques,including tubular encapsulation,substrate encapsulation,and metalembedded encapsulation,and discuss the extreme environmental adaptability of different encapsulation structures.Finally,the critical technological issues that need to be solved for the application of optical fiber sensors in extreme environments are discussed.

Advances in phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry

Phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry(Φ-OTDR)has attracted numerous attention due to its superior performance in detecting the weak perturbations along the fiber.Relying on the ultra-sensitivity of light phase to the tiny deformation of optical fiber,Φ-OTDR has been treated as a powerful technique with a wide range of applications.It is fundamental to extract the phase of scattering light wave accurately and the methods include coherent detection,I/Q demodulation,3 by 3 coupler,dual probe pulses,and so on.Meanwhile,researchers have also made great efforts to improve the performance ofΦ-OTDR.The frequency response range,the measurement accuracy,the sensing distance,the spatial resolution,and the accuracy of event discrimination,all have been enhanced by various techniques.Furthermore,lots of researches on the applications in various kinds of fields have been carried out,where certain modifications and techniques have been developed.Therefore,Φ-OTDR remains as a booming technique in both researches and applications.

Cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating for enhanced refractive index sensing

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating(TFBG) for enhanced refractive index sensing. The TFBG is UV-inscribed in series in ordinary single-mode fiber(SMF) and reduced-diameter SMF with the same tilt angle, and then excites two sets of superposed spectral combs of cladding modes. The cascaded TFBG with total length of 18 mm has a much wider wavelength range over 100 nm and narrower wavelength separation than that of a TFBG only in the SMF, enabling an enlarged range and a higher accuracy of refractive index measurement. The fabricated TFBG with the merits of enhanced sensing capability and temperature self-calibration presents great potentials in the biochemical sensing applications.

Strain Multipoint Measurements Based on Chirped Bragg Grating Sensors

In this paper,we propose the novel system of multipoint measurement.The sensors of measurements are chirped Bragg grating and the interrogation of sensors is sub-carrier phase.The wavelength division multiplexing technique is used for addressing a network of FBG sensors and the time-division multiplexing technique is used for multipoint measurements.In the system,the modulation frequency of 200 MHz is adopted.The range of dectetion is from 0 to 900μεand the resolution is 12με. The time of the sensor response is about 1ns.

Nonlinearity-Compensation-Free Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry Based on Electrically-Controlled Optical Frequency Sweep

A nonlinearity-compensation-free optical frequency domain reflectometry(OFDR)scheme is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on the electrically-controlled optical frequency sweep.In the proposed scheme,the linear frequency sweep light is generated by propagating an ultra-narrow-linewidth continuous-wave(CW)light through an electro-optic frequency shifter which consists of a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator(DPMZM)and an electronic 90°hybrid,where the electro-optic frequency shifter is driven by a linear frequency modulated signal generated by a direct digital synthesizer(DDS).Experimental results show that the spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of the proposed OFDR scheme without the nonlinear phase compensation are comparable to those of OFDR employing a commercial tunable laser source(TLS),an auxiliary interferometer,and a software-based nonlinear phase compensation method.The proposed OFDR scheme is helpful to reduce the complexity of the optical structure and eliminate the difficulty of developing the nonlinear phase compensation algorithm.

Optoelectronic oscillator-based interrogation system for Michelson interferometric sensors

High-performance interrogation systems for optical fiber sensors are extensively required for environmental condition monitoring applications.In this article,we propose and demonstrate a Michelson interferometer(MI)interrogation system based on an optoelectronic oscillator(OEO).The frequency of the OEO is related to the free spectral range(FSR)of the MI.Thus,when the FSR of the MI varies with a change in external physical factors,the frequency of the OEO shifts and can be used for interrogation.We demonstrate that the temperature sensitivity and interrogation resolution are 35.35 MHz/℃and 0.012℃,respectively.Such an OEO-based scheme enables wavelength-to-frequency mapping and promises a wide linear interrogation range,high resolution and high-speed interrogation.

Cladding Modified Fiber Bragg Grating for Copper Ions Detection

This paper reports a fiber Bragg grating(FBG)as a biosensor.The FBGs were etched using a chemical agent,namely,hydrofluoric acid(HF).This implies the removal of some part of the cladding layer.Consequently,the evanescent field propagating out of the core will be closer to the environ­ment and become more sensitive to the change in the surrounding.The proposed FBG sensor was utilized to detect toxic heavy metal ions aqueous medium namely,copper ions(Cu^(2+)).Two FBG sensors were etched with 20 and 40μm diameters and fabricated.The sensors were studied towards Cu^(2+)with different concentrations using wavelength shift as a result of the interaction between the evanescent field and copper ions.The FBG sensors showed a good response in terms of significant wavelength shift in corresponding to varying Cu2+concentrations when immersed in aqueous mediums.The sensors exhibited excellent repeatability towards Cu ions.The results demonstrate that the smaller FBG etching diameter,the better optical response in terms of wavelength and linearity.

Long Period Grating Imprinted on a Flat-Shaped Plastic Optical Fiber for Refractive Index Sensing

A corrugated surface long period grating(LPG)was fabricated on a flat-shaped plastic optical fiber(POF)as a refractive index(RI)sensor by a simple pressing with the heat pressure and mechanical die press print method.The light propagation characteristics of an LPG imprinted on a multi-mode POF were analyzed by the method of geometrical optics.Theoretical and experimental results showed that the structural parameters of the sensor affected the RI sensing performance,and the sensor with a thinner flat thickness,a deeper groove depth of the corrugated surface LPG,and a longer LPG exhibited better RI sensing performance.When the POF with a diameter of 1 mm was pressed with the heat pressure to a flat shape with a thickness of 600μm,an LPG with a period of 300μm,a groove depth of 200μm,and a length of 6 cm was fabricated on it,and the RI sensitivity of 1447%/RIU was obtained with a resolution of 5.494×10^(−6) RIU.In addition,the influences of the POF cladding,tilting of LPG,and bending of the sensing structure were investigated.The results demonstrated that after removing the cladding and tilting or bending the LPG,the RI sensing performance was improved.When the LPG imprinted on the flat-shaped POF was bent with a curvature radius of 6/πcm,the highest sensitivity of 6563%/RIU was achieved with a resolution of 2.487×10^(−9) RIU in the RI range of 1.3330–1.4230.The proposed sensor is a low-cost solution for RI measurement with the features of easy fabrication,high sensitivity,and intensity modulation at the visible wavelengths.

High sensitivity all-fiber bend sensor based on modal interferences in a ring core fiber

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated an all-fiber sensor for measuring bend with high sensitivity based on a ring core fiber(RCF)modal interferometer.The sensor was fabricated by splicing a segment of RCF between two pieces of multimode fiber(MMF)and single-mode fiber(SMF)at the ends of the MMF as lead-in and lead-out.Due to the first segment of the MMF,the transmitted light is coupled into the ring core,silica center,and cladding of the RCF,exciting multiple modes in the RCF.By the modal interferences in the structure,bending sensing can be realized by interrogating the intensity of the interference dip.Experimental results show a high bending sensitivity of-25.63 dB/m^(-1)in the range of 1.0954 m^(-1)to1.4696 m^(-1).In addition,the advantages of the bend sensor,such as small size,low temperature sensitivity,and simple fabrication process,can be used for curvature measurement in building health monitoring.

Optical fiber hydrogen sensor using metasurfaces composed of palladium

Palladium-based hydrogen sensors have been typically studied due to the dielectric function that changes with the hydrogen concentration. However, the development of a reliable, integral, and widely applicable hydrogen sensor requires a simple readout mechanism and an optimization of the fast detection of hydrogen. In this work, optical fiber hydrogen sensing platforms are developed using an optimized metasurface, which consists of a layer of palladium nanoantennas array suspended above a gold mirror layer. Since the optical properties of these palladium nanoantennas differ from the traditional palladium films, a high reflectance difference can be achieved when the sensor based on the metasurface is exposed to the hydrogen atmosphere. Finally, the optimized reflectance difference ΔR of ~0.28 can be obtained when the sensor is exposed in the presence of hydrogen. It is demonstrated that this integrated system architecture with an optimized palladium-based metasurface and a simple optical fiber readout system provides a compact and light platform for hydrogen detection in various working environments.