Plastic Optical Fibre Sensors for Environmental Monitoring: Biofouling and Strain Applications

• Published in: Strain Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 115 - 119
• Main Authors: Wong, Y. M., Scully, P. J., Bartlett, R. J., Kuang, K. S. C., Cantwell, W. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01-08-2003; Blackwell
• Subjects: Applied sciences; biofouling; Biological and medical sciences; Biosensors; Biotechnology; Circuit properties; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; environmental; Exact sciences and technology; fibre; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Integrated optics. Optical fibers and wave guides; Measurement and testing methods; Measurement methods and techniques in continuum mechanics of solids; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Optical and optoelectronic circuits; Physics; plastic; Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing; Sensors, gyros; Solid mechanics; strain; Structural and continuum mechanics; Various methods and equipments; biofouling; strain; plastic; environmental; fibre
• ISSN: 0039-2103; 1475-1305
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1475-1305.2003.00069.x

: Two long‐term environmental monitoring plastic optical fibre (POF) sensors are described, using light intensity modulation. An evanescent field biofouling sensor was developed and characterised with sensitivity ±0.007 refractive index units or 0.5% below n = 1.4 and ±0.002 refractive index units or 0.15% above n = 1.4. A tapered POF was developed and tested as a strain sensor, which demonstrated a significant proportion of excellent linearity and exhibited good agreement with measured strain values. The POF strain sensor appeared to be well‐behaved in that it showed little data scatter and was able to monitor strains up to 1.4% without failure. These two applications clearly demonstrate the potential POF sensors have for cheap, on‐line continuous environmental monitoring.