Development of polymer optical fibers with new materials using environmental friendly and low cost techniques (CNPq)

Funding agency: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)

Grant number: 427054/2018-4

This Research Project aims at the development of new polymer optical fibers through different low cost and ecologically correct techniques. These techniques include the recycling of materials present in the daily lives of the general population as an alternative to reducing solid waste, especially electronic waste. In addition, optical fiber manufacturing techniques using 3D printers will also be developed, since 3D printing has advantages such as low relative cost, ease of manufacturing and customization, and is an ecologically correct alternative. In this context, optical fibers will also be manufactured from the materials commonly used in the filaments of such printers with the further possibility of fabricating optical fibers from biodegradable and biocompostable materials. The manufactured fibers will be characterized in relation to their optical, thermal and mechanical properties for their subsequent application in sensing systems. The aim of this project is to obtain different polymer optical fibers made from different materials with sensor systems based on these fibers to monitor different parameters using different methodologies to develop sensors such as intensity variation, interferometers, Bragg gratings and other novel structures.