Frontiers of Optoelectronics, Volume. 17, Issue 3, 21(2024)

Novel elastomeric spiropyran-doped poly(dimethylsiloxane) optical waveguide for UV sensing

Zimmermann Camila Aparecida, Amouzou Koffi Novignon, Sengupta Dipankar, Kumar Aashutosh, Demarquette Nicole Raymonde, and Ung Bora

Novel poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) doped with two different spiropyran derivatives (SP) were investigated as potential candidates for the preparation of elastomeric waveguides with UV-dependent optical properties. First, free-standing films were prepared and evaluated with respect to their photochromic response to UV irradiation. Kinetics, reversibility as well as photofatigue and refractive index of the SP-doped PDMS samples were assessed. Second, SP-doped PDMS waveguides were fabricated and tested as UV sensors by monitoring changes in the transmitted optical power of a visible laser (633 nm). UV sensing was successfully demonstrated by doping PDMS using one spiropyran derivative whose propagation loss was measured as 1.04 dB/cm at 633 nm, and sensitivity estimated at 115% change in transmitted optical power per unit change in UV dose. The decay and recovery time constants were measured at 42 and 107 s, respectively, with an average UV saturation dose of 0.4 J/cm2. The prepared waveguides exhibited a reversible and consistent response even under bending. The sensor parameters can be tailored by varying the waveguide length up to 21 cm, and are affected by white light and temperatures up to 70 ℃. This work is relevant to elastomeric optics, smart optical materials, and polymer optical waveguide sensors.

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Zimmermann Camila Aparecida, Amouzou Koffi Novignon, Sengupta Dipankar, Kumar Aashutosh, Demarquette Nicole Raymonde, Ung Bora. Novel elastomeric spiropyran-doped poly(dimethylsiloxane) optical waveguide for UV sensing[J]. Frontiers of Optoelectronics, 2024, 17(3): 21

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Paper Information

Category: RESEARCH ARTICLE

Received: Feb. 14, 2024

Accepted: Dec. 11, 2024

Published Online: Dec. 11, 2024

The Author Email:

DOI:10.1007/s12200-024-00124-4

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