We have numerically studied different designs of technologically feasible microstructured fibers with a germanium-doped core in order to obtain normal dispersion reaching possibly far in the mid infrared. Hexagonal, Kagome and the combination of both geometries were numerically examined with respect to different constructional parameters like pitch distance, filling factor of air holes, number of layers surrounding the core, and level of germanium doping in the core. Our analysis showed that the broadest range of normal dispersion reaching 2.81 μm, while keeping an effective mode area smaller than 30 μm2, was achieved for a hexagonal lattice and a 40 mol% GeO2 doped core. The proposed fibers designs can be used in generation of a normal dispersion supercontinuum reaching the mid-IR region.
We experimentally studied three different D-shape polymer optical fibres with an exposed core for their applications as surface plasmon resonance sensors. The first one was a conventional D-shape fibre with no microstructure while in two others the fibre core was surrounded by two rings of air holes. In one of the microstructured fibres we introduced special absorbing inclusions placed outside the microstructure to attenuate leaky modes. We compared the performance of the surface plasmon resonance sensors based on the three fibres. We showed that the fibre bending enhances the resonance in all investigated fibres. The measured sensitivity of about 610 nm/RIU for the refractive index of glycerol solution around 1.350 is similar in all fabricated sensors. However, the spectral width of the resonance curve is significantly lower for the fibre with inclusions suppressing the leaky modes.
We experimentally studied three different D-shape polymer optical fibres with an exposed core for their applications as surface plasmon resonance sensors. The first one was a conventional D-shape fibre with no microstructure while in two others the fibre core was surrounded by two rings of air holes. In one of the microstructured fibres we introduced special absorbing inclusions placed outside the microstructure to attenuate leaky modes. We compared the performance of the surface plasmon resonance sensors based on the three fibres. We showed that the fibre bending enhances the resonance in all investigated fibres. The measured sensitivity of about 610 nm/RIUfor the refractive index of glycerol solution around 1.350 is similar in all fabricated sensors. However, the spectral width of the resonance curve is significantly lower for the fibre with inclusions suppressing the leaky modes.
O działalności Polskiego Instytutu Studiów Zaawansowanych, który rozpoczął działalność w strukturach Polskiej Akademii Nauk 2 stycznia, mówi jego dyrektor prof. Przemysław Urbańczyk
The samples of the CuCr0.6 alloy in the solution treated and additionally in aging states were severely plastically deformed by compression with oscillatory torsion (COT) method to produce ultrafine – grained structure. The samples were processed by using process parameters as: frequency of torsion (f = 1.6 Hz), compression speed (v = 0.04 mm/s), angle torsion (α = ±6°), height reduction (Δh = 7 mm). The total effective strain was εft = 40. The microstructure has been analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) Hitachi HD-2300A equipped with a cold field emission gun at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The quantitative microstructure investigations as disorientation angles were performed using a FEI INSPECT F scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a cold field emission gun and a electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) detector. The mechanical properties were determined using MST QTest/10 machine equipped with digital image correlation (DIC). The COT processed alloy previously aged at 500°C per 2h shows high mechanical strength, ultimate tensile strength UTS: 521 MPa and yield tensile strength YS: 488 MP attributed to the high density of coherent precipitates and ultrafine grained structure.
A layered sensor structure of metal-free phthalocyanine H2Pc (~160 nm) with a very thin film of palladium (Pd ~20 nm) on the top, has been studied for hydrogen gas-sensing application at relatively low temperatures of about 30°C and about 40°C. The layered structure was obtained by vacuum deposition (first the phthalocyanine Pc and than the Pd film) onto a LiNbO3Y- cut Z-propagating substrate, making use of the Surface Acoustic Wave method, and additionally (in this same technological processes) onto a glass substrate with a planar microelectrode array for simultaneous monitoring of the planar resistance of the layered structure. In such a layered structure we can detect hydrogen in a medium concentration range (from 0.5 to 3% in air) even at about 30°C. At elevated temperature up to about 40°C the differential frequency increases proportionally (almost linearly) to the hydrogen concentration and the response reaches its steady state very quickly. The response times are about 18 s at the lowest 0.5% hydrogen concentration to about 42 s at 4% (defined as reaching 100% of the steady state). In the case of the investigated layered structure a very good correlation has been observed between the two utilized methods - the frequency changes in the SAW method correlate quite well with the decreases of the layered structure resistance.