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Optical Sensors Based on Plastic Fibers

Optical Sensors Based on Plastic Fibers

The recent advances of polymer technology allowed the introduction of plastic

optical fiber in sensor design. The advantages of optical metrology with plastic optical

fiber have attracted the attention of the scientific community, as they allow the

development of low-cost or cost competitive systems compared with conventional

technologies. In this paper, the current state of the art of plastic optical fiber technology

will be reviewed, namely its main characteristics and sensing advantages. Several

measurement techniques will be described, with a strong focus on interrogation approaches

based on intensity variation in transmission and reflection. The potential applications

involving structural health monitoring, medicine, environment and the biological and

 chemical area are also presented.