Chekkaramkodi Dileep, Ahmed Israr, Jacob Liya, Butt Haider
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 127788, United Arab Emirates.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 16;14(1):19001. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-69872-9.
UV sensing 3D printed optical fiber hydrogels provide a flexible and precise method of remotely of detecting exposure to UV radiations. The optical fibers were created using digital light processing 3D printing technique with hydrogel composites, including micro-sized photochromic dyes (pink, blue and their combination). When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, these dyes exhibited specific absorption characteristics, resulting in significant decreases in both reflection and transmittance mode spectra at 560 nm, 620 nm, and 590 nm. Optical fibers of lengths 1, 2, and 3 cm were manufactured in two orientations: vertical and horizontal. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were utilized to characterize the printed fiber probes. The optical performance of the fibers was tested using customized measurement setups. The reflection and transmission of the printed fibers reduced as the length increased due to optical losses. Reflection and transmisson loss of 20-40% can be observed when the length is increased from 1 to 3 cm. The maximum loss in reflection is observed for pink fiber in the presence of UV irradiation. Also, the type of powder used impacted the response and retraction time, whereas the mixed fiber showed the highest response time of 12-20 s under various conditions. The pink dye added fiber probes shows quick response to UV radiation. An increase in the response time is observed with increasing fiber length. The impact of printing orientation on the transmission and reflectance mode operations of optical fibers was assessed. In addition, the stability of the fiber probes are assesed using a green laser having wavelength 532 nm. This work comprehensively examines the optical properties, manufacturing procedures, and sensing capacities of UV-sensitive photochromic optical fiber sensors.
紫外线传感3D打印光纤水凝胶提供了一种灵活且精确的远程检测紫外线辐射暴露的方法。这些光纤是使用数字光处理3D打印技术与水凝胶复合材料制成的，其中包括微米级光致变色染料（粉色、蓝色及其组合）。当暴露于紫外线（UV）辐射时，这些染料表现出特定的吸收特性，导致在560 nm、620 nm和590 nm处的反射和透射模式光谱均显著下降。制造了长度为1厘米、2厘米和3厘米的光纤，有两种取向：垂直和水平。利用扫描电子显微镜、傅里叶变换红外光谱和X射线衍射对打印的光纤探头进行表征。使用定制的测量装置测试光纤的光学性能。由于光学损耗，打印光纤的反射和透射随着长度增加而降低。当长度从1厘米增加到3厘米时，可以观察到20%-40%的反射和透射损耗。在紫外线照射下，粉色光纤的反射损耗最大。此外，所用粉末的类型影响响应和恢复时间，而混合光纤在各种条件下显示出最高12-20秒的响应时间。添加粉色染料的光纤探头对紫外线辐射显示出快速响应。随着光纤长度增加，响应时间会增加。评估了打印取向对光纤透射和反射模式操作的影响。此外，使用波长为532 nm的绿色激光评估光纤探头的稳定性。这项工作全面研究了紫外线敏感光致变色光纤传感器的光学特性、制造工艺和传感能力。
