Functional Optical Fiber Sensors Detecting Imperceptible Physical/Chemical Changes for Smart Batteries

The battery technology progress has been a contradictory process in which performance improvement and hidden risks coexist.Now the battery is still a“black box”,thus requiring a deep understanding of its internal state.The battery should“sense its internal physical/chemical conditions”,which puts strict requirements on embedded sensing parts.This paper summarizes the application of advanced optical fiber sensors in lithium-ion batteries and energy storage technologies that may be mass deployed,focuses on the insights of advanced optical fiber sensors into the processes of one-dimensional nano-micro-level battery material structural phase transition,electrolyte degradation,electrode-electrolyte interface dynamics to three-dimensional macro-safety evolution.The paper contributes to understanding how to use optical fiber sensors to achieve“real”and“embedded”monitoring.Through the inherent advantages of the advanced optical fiber sensor,it helps clarify the battery internal state and reaction mechanism,aiding in the establishment of more detailed models.These advancements can promote the development of smart batteries,with significant importance lying in essentially promoting the improvement of system consistency.Furthermore,with the help of smart batteries in the future,the importance of consistency can be weakened or even eliminated.The application of advanced optical fiber sensors helps comprehensively improve the battery quality,reliability,and life.

Quantitative Identification of Delamination Damage in Composite Structure Based on Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors and Model Updating

Delamination is a prevalent type of damage in composite laminate structures.Its accumulation degrades structural performance and threatens the safety and integrity of aircraft.This study presents a method for the quantitative identification of delamination identification in composite materials,leveraging distributed optical fiber sensors and a model updating approach.Initially,a numerical analysis is performed to establish a parameterized finite element model of the composite plate.Then,this model subsequently generates a database of strain responses corresponding to damage of varying sizes and locations.The radial basis function neural network surrogate model is then constructed based on the numerical simulation results and strain responses captured from the distributed fiber optic sensors.Finally,a multi-island genetic algorithm is employed for global optimization to identify the size and location of the damage.The efficacy of the proposed method is validated through numerical examples and experiment studies,examining the correlations between damage location,damage size,and strain responses.The findings confirm that the model updating technique,in conjunction with distributed fiber optic sensors,can precisely identify delamination in composite structures.

Optical micro/nanofiber enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators:A review

As a combination of fiber optics and nanotechnology,optical micro/nanofiber(MNF)is considered as an important multifunctional building block for fabricating various miniaturized photonic devices.With the rapid progress in flexible optoelectronics,MNF has been emerging as a promising candidate for assembling tactile sensors and soft actuators owing to its unique optical and mechanical properties.This review discusses the advances in MNF enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators,specifically,focusing on the latest research results over the past 5 years and the applications in health monitoring,human-machine interfaces,and robotics.Future prospects and challenges in developing flexible MNF devices are also presented.

Application of Optical Hydrogels in Environmental Sensing

The ever-increasing complexity of environmental pollutants urgently warrants the development of new detection technologies.Sensors based on the optical properties of hydrogels enabling fast and easy in situ detection are attracting increasing attention.In this paper,the data from 138 papers about different optical hydrogels(OHs)are extracted for statistical analysis.The detection performance and potential of various types of OHs in different environmental pollutant detection scenarios were evaluated and compared to those obtained using the standard detection method.Based on this analysis,the target recognition and sensing mechanisms of two main types of OHs are reviewed and discussed:photonic crystal hydrogels(PCHs)and fluorescent hydrogels(FHs).For PCHs,the environmental stimulus response,target receptors,inverse opal structures,and molecular imprinting techniques related to PCHs are reviewed and summarized.Furthermore,the different types of fluorophores(i.e.,compound probes,biomacromolecules,quantum dots,and luminescent microbes)of FHs are discussed.Finally,the potential academic research directions to address the challenges of applying and developing OHs in environmental sensing are proposed,including the fusion of various OHs,introduction of the latest technologies in various fields to the construction of OHs,and development of multifunctional sensor arrays.

Distributed fiber optic sensors for tunnel monitoring:A state-of-the-art review

Distributed fiber optic sensors(DFOSs)possess the capability to measure strain and temperature variations over long distances,demonstrating outstanding potential for monitoring underground infrastructure.This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the DFOS applications for monitoring and assessing the deformation behavior of typical tunnel infrastructure,including bored tunnels,conventional tunnels,as well as immersed and cut-and-cover tunnels.DFOS systems based on Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering principles are both considered.When implementing DFOS monitoring,the fiber optic cable can be primarily installed along transverse and longitudinal directions to(1)measure distributed strains by continuously adhering the fiber to the structure’s surface or embedding it in the lining,or(2)measure point displacements by spot-anchoring it on the lining surface.There are four critical aspects of DFOS monitoring,including proper selection of the sensing fiber,selection of the measuring principle for the specific application,design of an effective sensor layout,and establishment of robust field sensor instrumentation.These four issues are comprehensively discussed,and practical suggestions are provided for the implementation of DFOS in tunnel infrastructure monitoring.

A Modified Principal Component Analysis Method for Honeycomb Sandwich Panel Debonding Recognition Based on Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing Signals

The safety and integrity requirements of aerospace composite structures necessitate real-time health monitoring throughout their service life.To this end,distributed optical fiber sensors utilizing back Rayleigh scattering have been extensively deployed in structural health monitoring due to their advantages,such as lightweight and ease of embedding.However,identifying the precise location of damage from the optical fiber signals remains a critical challenge.In this paper,a novel approach which namely Modified Sliding Window Principal Component Analysis(MSWPCA)was proposed to facilitate automatic damage identification and localization via distributed optical fiber sensors.The proposed method is able to extract signal characteristics interfered by measurement noise to improve the accuracy of damage detection.Specifically,we applied the MSWPCA method to monitor and analyze the debonding propagation process in honeycomb sandwich panel structures.Our findings demonstrate that the training model exhibits high precision in detecting the location and size of honeycomb debonding,thereby facilitating reliable and efficient online assessment of the structural health state.

Contribution of Satellite Observations in the Optical and Microphysical Characterization of Aerosols in Burkina Faso, West Africa

In this work, we proceed to an optical and microphysical analysis of the observations reversed by the MODIS, SeaWiFS, MISR and OMI sensors with the aim of proposing the best-adapted airborne sensor for better monitoring of aerosols in Burkina Faso. To this end, a comparison of AOD between satellite observations and in situ measurements at the Ouagadougou site reveals an underestimation of AERONET AOD except for OMI which overestimates them. Also, an inter-comparison done based on the linear regression line representation shows the correlation between the aerosol models incorporated in the airborne sensor inversion algorithms and the aerosol population probed. This can be seen through the correlation coefficients R which are 0.84, 0.64, 0.55 and 0.054 for MODIS, SeaWiFS, MISR and OMI respectively. Furthermore, an optical analysis of aerosols in Burkina Faso by the MODIS sensor from 2001 to 2016 indicates a large spatial and temporal variability of particles strongly dominated by desert dust. This is corroborated by the annual and seasonal cycles of the AOD at 550 nm and the Angström coefficient measured in the spectral range between 412 nm and 470 nm. A zoom on a few sites chosen according to the three climatic zones confirms the majority presence of mineral aerosols in Burkina Faso, whose maxima are observed in spring and summer.

A bioinspired flexible optical sensor for force and orientation sensing

Flexible optical sensors have been an emerging paradigm for applications in robotics,healthcare,and human–machine interfaces due to their high sensitivity,fast response,and anti-electromagnetic interference.Recently,Marques reports a bioinspired multifunctional flexible optical sensor(BioMFOS),achieving a forces sensitivity of 13.28μN,and a spatial resolution of 0.02 mm.The BioMFOS has a small dimension(around 2 cm)and a light weight(0.8 g),making it suitable for wearable application and clothing integration.As proof-of-concept demonstrations,monitoring of finger position,trunk movements,and respiration rate are realized,implying their prominent applications in remote healthcare,intelligent robots,assistance devices teleoperation,and human-machine interfaces.

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.

Review on strategies of space-based optical space situational awareness

Space-based optical(SBO)space surveillance has attracted widespread interest in the last two decades due to its considerable value in space situation awareness(SSA).SBO observation strategy,which is related to the performance of space surveillance,is the top-level design in SSA missions reviewed.The recognized real programs about SBO SAA proposed by the institutions in the U.S.,Canada,Europe,etc.,are summarized firstly,from which an insight of the development trend of SBO SAA can be obtained.According to the aim of the SBO SSA,the missions can be divided into general surveillance and space object tracking.Thus,there are two major categories for SBO SSA strategies.Existing general surveillance strategies for observing low earth orbit(LEO)objects and beyond-LEO objects are summarized and compared in terms of coverage rate,revisit time,visibility period,and image processing.Then,the SBO space object tracking strategies,which has experienced from tracking an object with a single satellite to tracking an object with multiple satellites cooperatively,are also summarized.Finally,this paper looks into the development trend in the future and points out several problems that challenges the SBO SSA.

Temperature sensor based on polymer thin film optical waveguide

Based on attenuated total reflection （ATR） and thermo-optic effect, the polymeric thin film planar optical waveguide is used as the temperature sensor, and the factors influencing the sensitivity of the temperature sensor are comprehensively analyzed. Combined with theoretical analysis and experimental investigation, the sensitivity of the temperature sensor is related to the thicknesses of the upper cladding layer, the waveguide layer, the optical loss of the polymer material and the guided wave modes. The results show that the slope value about reflectivity and temperature, which stands for the sensitivity of the polymer thin film temperature sensor, is associated with the waveguide film thickness and the guided wave modes, and the slope value is the highest in the zero reflectance of a certain transverse electric （TE） mode. To improve the sensitivity of the temperature sensor, the sensor＇s working incident light exterior angle α should be chosen under a certain TE mode with the reflectivity to be zero. This temperature sensor is characterized by high sensitivity and simple structure and it is easily fabricated.

AN OPTICAL FIBER SENSOR TECHNIQUE BASED ON SLIGHT DISTURBANCE RADIATION LOSS OF STOCHASTIC WALL

This paper presents an optical sensor technique used in the damage evaluation which is formed by structurally integrated fiber optic reticulate sensors embedded in the composite materials. The fibers are processed by chemical method and their outsides are peeled to form particles of irregular distribution and they differ in size, so the slight disturbance range of stochastic wall are formed in fibers. According to the characteristics of power loss of waveguide mode caused by slight disturbance of stochastic wall and radiative mode transmission, the range of slight disturbance of stochastic wall may be served as the sensitive range of the sensor. On the basis of theory of slight disturbance of stochastic wall of planar optical waveguide, the relation between the corrosion time and the opposite power loss by experiments is investigated. In this paper, the measurement results of object of SIFORS are also presented. The results show that the optical sensor technique may be used in the damage evaluation of an aircraft.

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.

Cyclodextrin Polymer Films Optical Waveguide Sensor for Volatile Organic Gas Detection

A sensitive optical waveguide（OWG） sensor which can be used to detect volatile organic compounds（VOCs） was presented.The sensing device（element） was fabricated by means of the immobilization of polyvinyl pyrrolidone（PVP）-cyclodextrin（CD） composite film over a single-mode potassium ion exchanged glass OWG via spin-coating method.The sensor shows higher response to styrene gas than to other VOCs and displays a linear response to styrene gas in a range of 1―1000 μL/L.

Multifunctional flexible optical waveguide sensor: on the bioinspiration for ultrasensitive sensors development

This paper presents the development of a bioinspired multifunctional flexible optical sensor(BioMFOS)as an ultrasensitive tool for force(intensity and location)and orientation sensing.The sensor structure is bioinspired in orb webs,which are multifunctional devices for prey capturing and vibration transmission.The multifunctional feature of the structure is achieved by using transparent resins that present both mechanical and optical properties for structural integrity and strain/deflection transmission as well as the optical signal transmission properties with core/cladding configuration of a waveguide.In this case,photocurable and polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)resins are used for the core and cladding,respectively.The optical transmission,tensile tests,and dynamic mechanical analysis are performed in the resins and show the possibility of light transmission at the visible wavelength range in conjunction with high flexibility and a dynamic range up to 150 Hz,suitable for wearable applications.The BioMFOS has small dimensions(around 2 cm)and lightweight(0.8 g),making it suitable for wearable application and clothing integration.Characterization tests are performed in the structure by means of applying forces at different locations of the structure.The results show an ultra-high sensitivity and resolution,where forces in theμN range can be detected and the location of the applied force can also be detected with a sub-millimeter spatial resolution.Then,the BioMFOS is tested on the orientation detection in 3D plane,where a correlation coefficient higher than 0.9 is obtained when compared with a gold-standard inertial measurement unit(IMU).Furthermore,the device also shows its capabilities on the movement analysis and classification in two protocols:finger position detection(with the BioMFOS positioned on the top of the hand)and trunk orientation assessment(with the sensor integrated on the clothing).In both cases,the sensor is able of classifying the movement,especially when analyzed in conjunction with preprocessing and clustering techniques.As another wearable application,the respiratory rate is successfully estimated with the BioMFOS integrated into the clothing.Thus,the proposed multifunctional device opens new avenues for novel bioinspired photonic devices and can be used in many applications of biomedical,biomechanics,and micro/nanotechnology.

Highly sensitive digital optical sensor with large measurement range based on the dual-microring resonator with waveguide-coupled feedback

We propose a novel high-performance digital optical sensor based on the Mach-Zehnder interferential effect and the dual-microring resonators with the waveguide-coupled feedback. The simulation results show that the sensitivity of the sensor can be orders of magnitude higher than that of aconventional sensor, and high quality factor is not critical in it. Moreover, by optimizing the length of the feedback waveguide to be equal to the perimeter of the ring, the measurement range of the proposed sensor is twice as much as that of the conventional sensor in the weak coupling case.

Optical temperature sensor based on up-conversion fluorescence emission in Yb^(3+):Er^(3+) co-doped ceramics glass

yb^3＋：Er^3＋ co-doped oxy-fluoride ceramics glass has been prepared. The mechanism of up-conversion emissions about Er^3＋ was discussed, and the temperature properties of green up-conversion fluorescence between 303 and 823 K were investigated. The results show that the sensitivity of this sample reaches its maximum value, about 0.0047 K^-1, when the temperature is 383 K, indicating that this kind of sample can be used as high temperature and high sensitivity optical temperature sensor.

An Optical Pressure Sensor Based on MEMS

An optical fiber pressure sensor has been developed for the measurement in human body.The sensing element is possessed of a membrane structure,which is fabricated by micromachining.The fabrication process includes anisotropic wet etching on the silicon wafer.For the transmitting source and signal light,a multimode optical fiber 50/125 μm (core/clad)in diameter was used.The intensity of the light reflected back into the fiber varies with the membrane deflection,which is s function of pressure.The deflection of the membrane by applied pressure can be mathematically described.

An Optical Fiber Sensor Probe Using a PMMA/CPR Coated Bent Optical Fiber as a Transducer for Monitoring Trace Ammonia

Ammonia sensors have broad spectrum of applications for industrial process control as well as for environ-mental monitoring. An optical fiber ammonia sensor probe has been developed by using a bent optical fiber having dual poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/chlorophenol red (CPR) coatings as a transducer. This sen-sor probe was tested for monitoring trace ammonia in gas samples using air as sample matrix. The reaction of ammonia with CPR causes a color change of the reagent, which was detected by using fiber optic evanes-cent wave absorption spectrometry as a sensing signal. By adopting a dual layer coating structure, the sensor probe has faster response compared to a sensor using a broadly accepted sensing reagent-immobilized poly-mer coating structure. The sensor developed in this work is sensitive, has a detection limit of 2.7 ppb NH3 in air, which is the most sensitive among the reported optical fiber ammonia sensors to the best knowledge of the authors. The sensor is also reversible and has a response time of 25 minutes. The features of high sensi-tivity, reversibility and reasonable response time make this sensor technique very attractive for air quality monitoring.

Optical Fiber Grating Sensor for Force Measurement of Anchor Cable

The development of the sensor suitable for measuring large load stress to the anchor cable becomes an important task in bridge construction and maintenance. Therefore, a new type of optical fiber sensor was developed in the laboratory - optical fiber grating sensor for force measurement of anchor cable （OFBFMAC）. No similar report about this kind of sensor has been found up to now in China and other countries. This sensor is proved to be an effective way of monitoring in processes of anchor cable installation, cable cutting, cable force regulation, etc, with the accurate and repeatable measuring results. Its successful application in the tie bar cable force safety monitoring for Wuhan Qingchuan bridge is a new exploration of optical fiber grating sensing technology in bridge tie bar monitoring system.