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Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 November 2023) | Viewed by 10523

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. José Manuel Almeida

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Guest Editor

1. CAP/INESC TEC—Technology and Science and FCUP—Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
2. Department of Physics, School of Sciences and Technology, Univ. de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: physical, chemical and biological fiber optic sensors; plasmonics; nanocoatings; optical spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Luís C. Coelho

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Guest Editor

INESC TEC—Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science and Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Interests: optical sensing; optical fiber flowmeter; optical fiber sensors; gas sensing; spectral; biosensor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sensors based on optical fiber technology have been around for a long time but remain a constant object of dynamic and fruitful fundamental and applied research, with a variety of new applications and developments. We invite you to submit manuscripts for an upcoming Special Issue dedicated to all aspects relevant to optical fiber sensing. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect advances in fundamental research, the development of technologies, and innovative applications of optical fiber sensors, including different sensor platforms and configurations, sensing mechanisms and applications. Reviews must offer a critical overview of the state of the art on the fundamentals, technologies, and applications pertinent to optical fiber sensors.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Physical, chemical and biological sensors;
Sensors based on colorimetry, evanescent waves and infrared spectroscopies;
Plasmonic-based sensors (SPR, LSPR, LRSPR, and SERS, among others);
Interferometers and polarimetric configurations (such as FP cavities, MMI, Michelson, Mach-Zehnder, and Sagnac);
Micro- and nanofabrication, including gratings (FBG and LPFG), tapers, and etched configurations;
Functionalization methods and thin film coatings (including noble metals, oxides and graphene);
Special fibers (photonic crystal fibers, D-type, etc.);
Theoretical and simulation studies;
Multiplexing of several parameters;
Sensor networking and distributed sensing;
Applications including, but not limited to, agri-food; aquaculture; the mechanical, civil, pharmaceutical, oil and gas industries; human and animal health monitoring; environmental monitoring; harsh environments; food processing and monitoring; and medical instrumentation.

Dr. José Manuel Almeida
Dr. Luís C. Coelho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Physical sensors, chemical sensors and biosensors
Colorimetry, evanescent waves and infrared spectroscopies
Plasmonic-based sensors
Optical fiber interferometers
Micro- and nanofabrication
Functionalization methods
Special fibers
Theoretical and simulation studies
Multiplexing of several parameters
Sensor networking and distributed sensing
Sensor applications

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5951 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Monitoring Temperature and Thermo-Elastic Deformations in a Carbon Fiber Optical Bench

by Ana Fernández-Medina, Malte Frövel, Raquel López Heredero, Tomás Belenguer, Antonia de la Torre, Carolina Moravec, Ricardo San Julián, Alejandro Gonzalo, María Cebollero and Alberto Álvarez-Herrero

Sensors 2023, 23(14), 6499; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23146499 - 18 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1015

Abstract

A composite optical bench made up of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) skin and aluminum honeycomb has been developed for the Tunable Magnetograph instrument (TuMag) for the SUNRISE III mission within the NASA Long Duration Balloon Program. This optical bench has been designed to meet lightweight and low sensitivity to thermal gradient requirements, resulting in a low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). In addition to the flight model, a breadboard model identical to the flight one has been manufactured, including embedded fiber Bragg temperature and strain sensors. The aim of this is to explore if the use of distributed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) can provide valuable information for strain and temperature mapping of an optical instrument on board a space mission during its operation as well as its on-ground testing. Furthermore, surface-mounted strain FBG sensors and thermocouples have been installed in the optical bench for intercomparison purposes. This paper presents the results obtained from a thermal vacuum test consisting of three thermal cycles with stabilization steps at 100 °C, 60 °C, 20 °C and −20 °C. Experimental results provide information about how FBG embedded temperature sensors can provide a proper and quick response to the temperature changes of the optical bench and that embedded FBG strain sensors are able to measure micro-deformation induced in a close-to-zero CTE optical bench. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications)

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12 pages, 4606 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Refractive Index Fiber Laser Sensor by Using a Fiber Ball Lens Interferometer with Adjustable Free Spectral Range

by Ricardo Iván Álvarez-Tamayo and Patricia Prieto-Cortés

Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3045; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23063045 - 11 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1633

Abstract

In this work, a fiber laser refractometer based on a fiber ball lens (FBL) interferometer is proposed. The linear cavity erbium-doped fiber laser uses an FBL structure acting as a spectral filter and sensing element for determining the RI of a liquid medium surrounding the fiber. The optical interrogation of the sensor is the wavelength displacement of the generated laser line as a function of the RI variations. For the proposed FBL interferometric filter, the free spectral range of its wavelength-modulated reflection spectrum is adjusted to maximum in order to obtain RI measurements in a range of 1.3939 to 1.4237 RIU, from laser wavelength displacements in a range from 1532.72 to 1565.76 nm. The obtained results show that the wavelength of the generated laser line is a linear function of the RI variations on the medium surrounding the FBL with a sensitivity of 1130.28 nm/RIU. The reliability of the proposed fiber laser RI sensor is analytically and experimentally investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications)

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13 pages, 3851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validation of a New Scintillating Fiber Dosimeter for Radiation Dose Quality Control in Computed Tomography

by Nicolas Guillochon, Mamoutou Balde, Christian Popotte, Selena Pondard, Corentin Desport, Nicolas Kien, Fanny Carbillet, Ramiro Moreno and Mélodie Munier

Sensors 2023, 23(5), 2614; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23052614 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2122

Abstract

(1) Background: The IVIscan is a commercially available scintillating fiber detector designed for quality assurance and in vivo dosimetry in computed tomography (CT). In this work, we investigated the performance of the IVIscan scintillator and associated method in a wide range of beam width from three CT manufacturers and compared it to a CT chamber designed for Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) measurements. (2) Methods: We measured weighted CTDI (CTDIw) with each detector in accordance with the requirements of regulatory tests and international recommendations for the minimum, maximum and the most used beam width in clinic and investigated the accuracy of the IVIscan system based on the assessment of the CTDIw deviation from the CT chamber. We also investigated the IVIscan accuracy for the whole range of the CT scans kV. (3) Results: We found excellent agreement between the IVIscan scintillator and the CT chamber for the whole range of beam widths and kV, especially for wide beams used on recent technology of CT scans. (4) Conclusions: These findings highlight that the IVIscan scintillator is a relevant detector for CT radiation dose assessments, and the method associated with calculating the CTDIw saves a significant amount of time and effort when performing tests, especially with regard to new CT technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications)

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13 pages, 2549 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Liquid Level Sensor with Two FBGs Embedded in a PDMS Diaphragm: Analysis of the Linearity and Sensitivity

by Eliton Morais, Maria José Pontes, Carlos Marques and Arnaldo Leal-Junior

Sensors 2022, 22(3), 1268; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22031268 - 07 Feb 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2143

Abstract

This paper presents a fiber optic, liquid level sensor system based on a pair of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), embedded in a circular silicone (PDMS—polydimethylsiloxane) rubber diaphragm. The measurement principles of this sensor, whose diaphragm structure is about 2.2 mm thick with 45 mm in diameter, are introduced. To analyze the linearity and sensitivity of the sensor, the diaphragm was subjected to compression tests as well as to liquid level loading and unloading. The force and liquid level increase tests showed that inserting two FBGs (0.99453 for force and 0.99163 for liquid level) in the diaphragm resulted in a system with greater linearity than that with individual FBGs. This occurred where FBG1 showed 0.97684 for force and 0.98848 for liquid level and FBG2 presented 0.89461 for force and 0.93408 for liquid level. However, the compression and water level decrease tests showed that the system (R² = 0.97142) had greater linearity with FBG2 (0.94123) and lower linearity with FBG1 (0.98271). Temperature characterization was also performed, and we found that sensitivity to FBG1 temperature variation was 11.73 pm/°C and for FGB2 it was 10.29 pm/°C. Temperature sensitivity was improved for both FBGs when compared with uncoated FBGs with typical values of 9.75 pm/°C. Therefore, the proposed FBG-based sensor system is capable of simultaneous measurement of force and temperature in a compact diaphragm-embedded system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications)

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12 pages, 2679 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Active Compensation of Radiation Effects on Optical Fibers for Sensing Applications

by Sohel Rana, Austin Fleming, Nirmala Kandadai and Harish Subbaraman

Sensors 2021, 21(24), 8193; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21248193 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1983

Abstract

Neutron and gamma irradiation is known to compact silica, resulting in macroscopic changes in refractive index (RI) and geometric structure. The change in RI and linear compaction in a radiation environment is caused by three well-known mechanisms: (i) radiation-induced attenuation (RIA), (ii) radiation-induced compaction (RIC), and (iii) radiation-induced emission (RIE). These macroscopic changes induce errors in monitoring physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, and strain in optical fiber-based sensors, which limit their application in radiation environments. We present a cascaded Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) technique to measure macroscopic properties, such as radiation-induced change in RI and length compaction in real time to actively account for sensor drift. The proposed cascaded FPI consists of two cavities: the first cavity is an air cavity, and the second is a silica cavity. The length compaction from the air cavity is used to deduce the RI change within the silica cavity. We utilize fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm and two bandpass filters for the signal extraction of each cavity. Inclusion of such a simple cascaded FPI structure will enable accurate determination of physical parameters under the test. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: New Trends and Applications)

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