Rongzhang Chen

Engineering metal oxide nanostructures for the fiber optic sensor platform

This paper presents an effective integration scheme of nanostructured SnO2 with the fiber optic platform for chemical sensing applications based on evanescent optical interactions. By using a triblock copolymer as a structure directing agent as the means of nano-structuring, the refractive index of SnO2 is reduced from >2.0 to 1.46, in accordance with effective medium theory for optimal on-fiber integration. High-temperature stable fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in D-shaped fibers were used to perform real-time characterization of optical absorption and refractive index modulation of metal oxides in response to NH3 from the room temperature to 500 °C. Measurement results reveals that the redox reaction of the nanostructured metal oxides exposed to a reactive gas NH3 induces much stronger changes in optical absorption as opposed to changes in the refractive index. Results presented in this paper provide important guidance for fiber optic chemical sensing designs based on metal oxide nanomaterials.

Fiber-optic flow sensors for high-temperature environment operation up to 800°C.

This Letter presents an all-optical high-temperature flow sensor based on hot-wire anemometry. High-attenuation fibers (HAFs) were used as the heating elements. High-temperature-stable regenerated fiber Bragg gratings were inscribed in HAFs and in standard telecom fibers as temperature sensors. Using in-fiber light as both the heating power source and the interrogation light source, regenerative fiber Bragg grating sensors were used to gauge the heat transfer from an optically powered heating element induced by the gas flow. Reliable gas flow measurements were demonstrated between 0.066  m/s and 0.66  m/s from the room temperature to 800°C. This Letter presents a compact, low-cost, and multiflexible approach to measure gas flow for high-temperature harsh environments.

Distributed flow sensing using optical hot -wire grid

An optical hot-wire flow sensing grid is presented using a single piece of self-heated optical fiber to perform distributed flow measurement. The flow-induced temperature loss profiles along the fiber are interrogated by the in-fiber Rayleigh backscattering, and spatially resolved in millimeter resolution using optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). The flow rate, position, and flow direction are retrieved simultaneously. Both electrical and optical on-fiber heating were demonstrated to suit different flow sensing applications.

Regenerated distributed Bragg reflector fiber lasers for high-temperature operation.

This Letter presents distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber lasers for high-temperature operation at 750°C. Thermally regenerated fiber gratings were used as the feedback elements to construct an erbium-doped DBR fiber laser. The output power of the fiber laser can reach 1 mW at all operating temperatures. The output power fluctuation tested at 750°C was 1.06% over a period of 7 hours. The thermal regeneration grating fabrication process opens new possibilities to design and to implement fiber laser sensors for extreme environments.

Distributed hydrogen sensing using in-fiber Rayleigh scattering

This letter reports a fully distributed hydrogen sensing technique using Rayleigh backscattering in palladium (Pd) and copper (Cu) coated optical fiber. The local in-fiber strain changes due to Pd hydrogen absorptions are interrogated spatially resolved optical frequency domain reflectrometry measurements of the Rayleigh signals. Electrical power is used to induce heating in the Pd coating, which accelerates both the hydrogen response and the sensor recycling. This technique promises an inexpensive and truly distributed fiber solution for continuous hydrogen leak detection with centimeter spatial resolution at room and low temperatures.

Distributed high-temperature pressure sensing using air-hole microstructural fibers

We present spatially resolved Rayleigh scattering measurements in different polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers for high-temperature pressure sensing. The pressure-induced birefringence in the fiber cores is interrogated using polarization-resolved frequency-swept interferometry. The pressure responses of a PM photonic crystal fiber and a twin-air-hole PM fiber are investigated for a pressure range of 0 to 13.8 MPa (0-2000 psi) at room temperature and at temperatures as high as 800 °C. The proposed sensing system provides, for the first time to our knowledge, a truly distributed pressure-sensing solution for high-temperature applications.

Sapphire Fiber Optical Hydrogen Sensors for High-Temperature Environments

This letter presents a high-temperature fiber optical hydrogen sensor with operational temperatures up to 800 °C. The sensor is based on a single-crystal sapphire fiber coated with Pd nanoparticles incorporated TiO2 nanostructured thin film. The template-based sol-gel chemistry was applied to synthesize the nanostructured porous thin films. The sensitivity and response time of the sensor was evaluated for hydrogen concentrations varying from 0.02% to 4%. The effects of temperature on the hydrogen gas sensing properties were investigated from 600 °C to 800 °C.

Distributed liquid level sensors using self-heated optical fibers for cryogenic liquid management

We present a continuous liquid level sensing system for both room temperature and cryogenic fluids with millimeter spatial resolution. Change of in-fiber Rayleigh backscattering signal from the distinct thermal response of the heated sensing fiber in liquid and in air were interrogated and spatially resolved using the optical frequency domain reflectometry. Both electrical and optical heating techniques were investigated for cryogenic liquid applications at 4 K, 77 K, and the room temperature. The successful combination of self-heated fiber and wavelength-swept Rayleigh scattering interferometry provides, for the first time to our best knowledge, a truly distributed fuel gauge with high spatial resolution for cryogenic fuel storage, transportation, and management on ground and in space.

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors with Ultrafast Laser Enhanced Rayleigh Backscattering Profiles for Real-Time Monitoring of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Operations

This paper reports a technique to enhance the magnitude and high-temperature stability of Rayleigh back-scattering signals in silica fibers for distributed sensing applications. With femtosecond laser radiation, more than 40-dB enhancement of Rayleigh backscattering signal was generated in silica fibers using 300-nJ laser pulses at 250 kHz repetition rate. The laser-induced Rayleigh scattering defects were found to be stable from the room temperature to 800 °C in hydrogen gas. The Rayleigh scatter at high temperatures was correlated to the formation and modification of nanogratings in the fiber core. Using optical fibers with enhanced Rayleigh backscattering profiles as distributed temperature sensors, we demonstrated real-time monitoring of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operations with 5-mm spatial resolution at 800 °C. Information gathered by these fiber sensor tools can be used to verify simulation results or operated in a process-control system to improve the operational efficiency and longevity of SOFC-based energy generation systems.

A compact field-portable double-pulse laser system to enhance laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

This paper reports the development of a compact double-pulse laser system to enhance laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for field applications. Pumped by high-power vertical-surface emitting lasers, the laser system that produces 16 ns pulse at 12 mJ/pulse with total weight less than 10 kg is developed. The inter-pulse delay can be adjusted from 0μs with 0.5μs increment. Several LIBS experiments were carried out on NIST standard aluminum alloy samples. Comparing with the single-pulse LIBS, up to 9 times enhancement in atomic emission line was achieved with continuum background emission reduced by 70%. This has led to up to 10 times improvement in the limit of detection. Signal stability was also improved by 128% indicating that a more robust and accurate LIBS measurement can be achieved using a compact double-pulse laser system. This paper presents a viable and field deployable laser tool to dramatically improve the sensitivity and applicability of LIBS for a wide array of applications.