Abstract
Optical fibers are a key component in modern photonics, where conventionally used polymer materials are derived from fossil-based resources, causing heavy greenhouse emissions and raising sustainability concerns. As a potential alternative, fibers derived from cellulose-based materials offer renewability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. In the present work, we studied the potential of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to prepare optical fibers with a core-only architecture. Wet-spun CMC hydrogel filaments were cross-linked using aluminum ions to fabricate optical fibers. The transmission spectra of fibers suggest that the light transmission window for cladding-free CMC fibers was in the range of 550–1350 nm, wherein the attenuation coefficient for CMC fibers was measured to be 1.6 dB·cm–1 at 637 nm. CMC optical fibers were successfully applied in touch sensing and respiratory rate monitoring. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate high-speed (150 Mbit/s) short-distance signal transmission using CMC fibers (at 1310 nm) in both air and water media. Our results establish the potential of carboxymethyl cellulose-based biocompatible optical fibers for highly demanding advanced sensor applications, such as in the biomedical domain.
Highlights
Since their invention in the 1960s, optical fibers (OFs) have become a key component in telecommunication, data transmission, sensing, and illumination
Fibers were prepared via the wet spinning of aqueous carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogels into a coagulation bath containing an aqueous solution of aluminum sulfate
This CMC fiber spinning process is documented in the literature, the utilization of CMC fibers as optical fibers has not been studied
Summary
Since their invention in the 1960s, optical fibers (OFs) have become a key component in telecommunication, data transmission, sensing, and illumination. Commercial POFs made of PS, PC, and PMMA exhibit attenuation values of approximately 330 dB· km−1 (570 nm), 600 dB·km−1 (670 nm), and 55 dB·km−1 (538 nm), respectively.[4] attenuation values for POFs are 2−3 orders of magnitude higher than commercial GOFs, and their applications are limited to shorter distance end uses such as automobiles, medical devices, and decorative illumination.[5] A major drawback of POF sensors is their low operating temperature range, which is caused by glass transition in polymer materials. It is typically below 80 °C for PMMA and below 125 °C with PC.[4]
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