Abstract
In this paper the first glass based resorbable optical fiber is manufactured and characterized, showing values of attenuation loss from one to two orders of magnitude lower than the polymeric based bioresorbable devices reported in literature. The fiber behaves as a single-mode waveguide at the lower limit of the first biological window (1300 nm) and as a multi-mode waveguide in the visible region (630 nm). Highly transparent calcium-phosphate glasses (PGs) are proposed as a new class of materials for biomedical optics, managing to combine for the first time in a vitreous material solubility in aqueous media, transparency in the near UV region, low intrinsic attenuation loss and thermal stability during fiber drawing. In-vitro tests in physiological conditions show dissolution kinetics of glass fibers in about a month.
Highlights
Recent developments in the field of biophotonics, for instance those in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), optogenetics and biosensing, have raised interest in combining key biological functions to other technological properties, such as optical transparency, easy processing, bioresorbability, mechanical resistance and costs affordability
We demonstrate that calcium-phosphate glasses offer an exclusive combination of optical and biological properties, making these materials attractive for the fabrication of bioresorbable devices for various biomedical applications
We proposed a simple and largescale extendable method for the manufacture of a resorbable optical fiber, which was fabricated and tested as a proof of feasibility
Summary
Recent developments in the field of biophotonics, for instance those in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), optogenetics and biosensing, have raised interest in combining key biological functions to other technological properties, such as optical transparency, easy processing, bioresorbability, mechanical resistance and costs affordability. Choi et al [5] successfully tested in-vivo a polyethylene glycol based hydrogel used both as a cell scaffold and as a waveguide This device proved to be transparent up to 400 nm in the visible region and to have optical loss lower than 100 dB m−1. A proof of concept biodegradable polymeric optical fiber was published [6], featuring a 100 dB m−1 transmission loss at the wavelength of 630 nm These are remarkable results, the proposed materials do not present as much versatility as bioresorbable glasses in terms of achievable optical properties, especially in terms of attenuation loss, refractive index and UV edge
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