This study reports a method for humidity sensing based on a specialty microstructured optical fiber (MOF). A suspended tri-core MOF was fabricated using the stack and draw technique. A low finesse sensing head was prepared by depositing a chitosan polymer matrix within the holes of the MOF, forming a Fabry-Pérot interferometer as a sensing platform while the chitosan film acts as the sensing material. The use of the probe for real-time breath monitoring was also successfully demonstrated. The probe possessed a maximum sensitivity of 81.05 pm/(%RH) for 90–95%RH range while the linear region of the sensor ranged from 70–95%RH. The temperature cross correlation was also experimented, and a lower influence of external temperature was observed. The probe shows an ultrafast response during human breath monitoring with a rising time and recovery time of 80 ms and 70 ms, respectively.

We report a highly sensitive twist sensor based on a Sagnac interferometer constructed with a new type of optical fiber which contains an elliptical core and two large semicircular-holes, where the slow axis of the core orthogonal to the air-holes has a large sensitivity towards twist-induced birefringent changes. The novel fiber structure results in a highest twist sensitivity of 5.01 nm/° at a chosen dip over the range from 370°-400°. The resonance dips in the interference pattern respond with different rates in the wavelength shifts in the presence of physical parameters permitting to experimentally distinguish directional torsion, axial strain and temperature.

A simple, compact, and highly sensitive gas pressure sensor based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) with a silicone rubber (SR) diaphragm is demonstrated. The SR diaphragm is fabricated on the tip of a silica tube using capillary action followed by spin coating. This process ensures uniformity of its inner surface along with reproducibility. A segment of single mode fiber (SMF) inserted into this tube forms the FPI which produces an interference pattern with good contrast. The sensor exhibits a high gas pressure sensitivity of −0.68 nm/kPa along with a low temperature cross-sensitivity of ≈ 1.1 kPa/°C.

We propose and demonstrate a novel orientation-sensitive two-dimensional accelerometer based on fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in a multi-core fiber. Through monitoring of the wavelength shifts of three of the seven cores, including the central core and two outer cores which are not aligned in a straight line, information on vibration orientation as well as acceleration can be obtained simultaneously. Performance of the proposed accelerometer in terms of frequency, acceleration and vibration orientation are experimentally investigated. The designed two-dimensional accelerometer is capable of obtaining all these three parameters simultaneously. A sensitivity which is strongly dependent on the orientation is achieved, with a best orientation accuracy of 0.127° over a range of 0-180°. Moreover, the resonance frequency and the sensitivity can be optimized through adjusting the length and weight of the free-fiber. The ease of fabrication as well as the versatility of the proposed sensor makes it potentially useful in dynamic monitoring for industrial applications.

In this study, we present first-time fabrication of FBGs in all ZEONEX-based SMPOFs with a single 25 ns pulse of 248 nm UV irradiation over a 12-month period, which opens up new frontiers in optics and photonics for the effective fabrication of polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (POFBGs), permitting mass producibility of them. POFBGs were characterized by subjecting them to various physical parameters including temperature and tensile strain. Strain responses of FBGs with similar grating strengths fabricated with 248 nm and 325 nm He-Cd laser irradiations were explored over a year to demonstrate their long-term stability and applicability. Owing to the unique features of the proposed sensing device fabricated by embedding POFBGs in silicone rubber, a good performance in the detection of human heart rate with an amplitude of 4 pm, which is 4 times higher compared to that of silica single mode fiber (SMF) was demonstrated. The response of the sensing device during a human respiration process was also explored where exhalation and inhalation were monitored and distinguished while the breath was held. These revelations signify the importance of ZEONEX-based POFBGs, which allow consistent and effective grating fabrication and are highly promising in the foreseeable future for biomedical applications.