Hydroxyethyl cellulose sensitized SMDMS structure with optical fiber relative humidity and temperature simultaneous measurement sensor

Abstract

We have manufactured an intensity modulated optical fiber SMDMS sensor with hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) hydrogel coating for simultaneous measurement of RH and temperature. The SMDMS sensor was manufactured by splicing single-mode fiber (SMF), multi-mode fiber (MMF), dispersion compensation fiber (DCF), MMF, and SMF in sequence to form a structure of SMF + MMF + DCF + MMF + SMF (SMDMS). The cladding of MMFs and DCF were corroded by hydrofluoric acid (HF) and coated with HEC hydrogel to excite a strong evanescent field and increase the sensitivity of the SMDMS sensor. The adsorption of water molecules by HEC will cause a change in the effective refractive index of cladding mode, which will eventually change the intensity of the transmission spectrum. The experimental results indicate that the sensitivities are 0.507 dB/%RH and 0.345 dB/°C in the RH range of 30%−80% and temperature range of 10°C−50°C, respectively. At last, a dual-parameter measurement matrix is constructed based on the experimental results to achieve the simultaneous measurement of RH and temperature. The SMDMS sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity and good robustness, and has potential application prospects in daily life and other fields.