Microstructured optical fibers can be precisely tailored for many different applications, out of which sensing has been found to be particularly interesting. However, placing silica optical fiber sensors in harsh environments results in their quick destruction as a result of the hydrolysis process. In this paper, the degradation mechanism of bare and metal-coated optical fibers at high temperatures under longitudinal strain has been determined by detailed analysis of the thermal behavior of silica and metals, like copper and nickel. We furthermore propose a novel method of enhancing the lifetime of optical fibers by the deposition of electroless nickel-phosphorous alloy in a low-temperature chemical process. The best results were obtained for a coating comprising an inner layer of copper and outer layer of low phosphorous nickel. Lifetime values obtained during the annealing experiments were extrapolated to other temperatures by a dedicated model elaborated by the authors. The estimated copper-coated optical fiber lifetime under cycled longitudinal strain reached 31 h at 450 °C.

This paper focuses on the utilization of crosstalk phenomenon to construct an innovative strain sensor. In our experiments, we take advantage of special fiber design and technology of fiber post-processing in order to receive strain sensing areas. We present results, which indicate possibility of achieving strain sensitivity at level of several mε/nm with negligible temperature cross-sensitivity at the same time. Furthermore after coating the sensor with the developed copper and gold coatings, it can be easily applied in extremely high temperature (e.g. 500 – 800 ⁰C) and/or aggressive media applications. © (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.