Fiber Optic Temperature Sensor Based on Amplitude Modulation of Metallic and Semiconductor Nanoparticles in a Liquid Crystal Mixture

Author

Algorri, Jose Francisco ; Garcia-Camara, Braulio ; Garcia-Garcia, Amanda ; Urruchi, Virginia ; Sanchez-Pena, Jose Manuel

Author_Institution

Electron. Technol. Dept., Carlos III Univ. of Madrid, Leganes, Spain

Volume

33

Issue

12

fYear

2015

fDate

June15, 15 2015

Firstpage

2451

Lastpage

2455

Abstract

The response of an amplitude modulation temperature sensor based on a liquid crystal doped with either metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles has been theoretically analyzed. The effects of the concentration, the type of nanoparticle material, and liquid crystal compound have been studied in detail. The high sensitivity of light resonances to refraction index changes, in collaboration with the high thermooptic coefficients of liquid crystal materials, has resulted in the design of an optical fiber sensor with high temperature sensitivity. This sensitivity has been demonstrated to be dependent on nanoparticle concentration. A maximum theoretical sensitivity of 64 × 10^-2 dB/°C has been observed. Moreover, the sensitivity is highly linear with a regression coefficient of 99.99%.

Keywords

amplitude modulation; fibre optic sensors; liquid crystals; nanoparticles; nanophotonics; nanosensors; optical design techniques; optical fibre testing; optical modulation; refractive index; semiconductor materials; temperature measurement; temperature sensors; thermo-optical devices; thermo-optical effects; amplitude modulation temperature sensor; fiber optic temperature sensor; light resonances; liquid crystal doped metallic nanoparticles; liquid crystal doped semiconductor nanoparticles; optical fiber sensor design; refraction index changes; regression coefficient; thermooptic coefficients; Nanoparticles; Optical fiber sensors; Optical fibers; Sensitivity; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors; Liquid crystal; Plasmons; liquid crystal; nanoparticles; optical fiber sensor; plasmons; semiconductor nanostructures; temperature sensors;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JLT.2015.2396357

Filename

7042741