Synthesis and characterization of a polymer matrix for fiber optical sensors application

Fiber optical sensors are devices of growing importance in fields as diverse as oceanography, chemical process control, vivo clinical diagnosis, and environmental monitoring. The objective of this research is to thoroughly study the interfacial structures and reactions, and to develop the technology to covalently bond a general polymer matrix on an optical fiber tip which would support wide varieties of indicators for different applications. This dissertation has extensively studied the following areas and opened a window for other scientists and engineers to see the integration of different optical materials and to build their own sensors for specific applications.;1. Sensor structure design. The three layered sensor structure has been proven to be an effective method to combine an optical fiber with the organic sensing materials. Based on this design, a silane layer is used to chemically bond onto the optical fiber and a hydrophilic copolymer layer is applied to incorporate the organic indicators, while a middle layer is used to join the two layers together.;2. Materials selection. A silane material and a chemical with two functional groups are chosen as the bottom layer and middle layer of the polymer matrix. The materials for the top layer are 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 1-vinyl 2-pyrrolidnone, and N,N;3. Synthetic methods. A condensation reaction was applied to synthesize the bottom layer. The best curing temperature (165...