The Polydimethylsiloxane Coated Fiber Optic for All Fiber Temperature Sensing Based on the Multithin–Multifiber Structure

Abstract

A novel high sensitivity temperature sensor based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated the Multi-Thin-Multi mode Fiber was presented. The reliable material PDMS with higher negative thermal optical coefficient and thermal expansion coefficient was selected to improve the sensitivity of the optical fiber’s temperature sensing. A section of thin-mode fiber was connected in the middle of two multi-mode fibers, so as to form the Multi-Thin-Multi mode Fiber structure, which can make the light in the cladding better interact with the external PDMS. For the two dips of the interference spectra, the temperature sensitivities of the original fiber sensor were 47.14 pm/°C and 0.093 dB/°C. After the sensing part of the fiber was coated, its temperature sensitivities were become as 75.04 pm/°C and 0.231 dB/°C, which 1.6 and 2.5 times improved, respectively. In the temperature stability experiment, a standard deviation of the wavelength variation was established to demonstrate the good stability of the sensor.