Open Access
Micro and nanostructured materials for the development of optical fibre sensors
(MDPI, 2017) Elosúa Aguado, César; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Del Villar, Ignacio; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Bariáin Aisa, Cándido; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Sánchez Zábal, Pedro; Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; López Torres, Diego; Acha Morrás, Nerea de; Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín; Ozcariz Celaya, Aritz; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
The measurement of chemical and biomedical parameters can take advantage of the features exclusively offered by optical fibre: passive nature, electromagnetic immunity and chemical stability are some of the most relevant ones. The small dimensions of the fibre generally require that the sensing material be loaded into a supporting matrix whose morphology is adjusted at a nanometric scale. Thanks to the advances in nanotechnology new deposition methods have been developed: they allow reagents from different chemical nature to be embedded into films with a thickness always below a few microns that also show a relevant aspect ratio to ensure a high transduction interface. This review reveals some of the main techniques that are currently been employed to develop this kind of sensors, describing in detail both the resulting supporting matrices as well as the sensing materials used. The main objective is to offer a general view of the state of the art to expose the main challenges and chances that this technology is facing currently.
Open Access
Building global competencies: a strategic approach to internationalization of engineering education
(Eindhoven University of Technology and Fontys University of Applied Sciences, 2023) Berrueta Irigoyen, Alberto; Samanes Pascual, Javier; Parra Laita, Íñigo de la; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Sanchis Gúrpide, Pablo; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
International mobility is an essential aspect of undergraduate education that enables students to acquire the necessary competences required by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). However, small universities such as the Public University of Navarre (UPNA), which has approximately 9,000 bachelor's students, face challenges in providing effective mobility opportunities. The most significant hurdles include offering attractive mobility experiences to students and establishing mobility agreements with other universities. Nonetheless, the reduced size of UPNA provides some potential benefits, such as more personalized advice for students and better knowledge of the available destinations. This article discusses the internationalization strategy implemented by the Faculty of Industrial and ICT Engineering at UPNA, which has enabled over 25% of its students to participate in a mobility experience, resulting in a high satisfaction rate. This contribution provides valuable insights into how smaller universities can successfully offer international mobility programmes to their students.
Open Access
Optical fiber sensors based on nanoparticle-embedded coatings
(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2015) Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in scientific applications has attracted the attention of many researchers in the last few years. The use of NPs can help researchers to tune the physical characteristics of the sensing coating (thickness, roughness, specific area, refractive index, etc.) leading to enhanced sensors with response time or sensitivity better than traditional sensing coatings. Additionally, NPs also offer other special properties that depend on their nanometric size, and this is also a source of new sensing applications. This review focuses on the current status of research in the use of NPs within coatings in optical fiber sensing. Most used sensing principles in fiber optics are briefly described and classified into several groups: absorbance-based sensors, interferometric sensors, fluorescence-based sensors, fiber grating sensors, and resonance-based sensors, among others. For each sensor group, specific examples of the utilization of NP-embedded coatings in their sensing structure are reported.
Open Access
Vibration detection using optical fiber sensors
(Hindawi, 2010) Rodríguez García, Yoany; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Condition monitoring of heavy electromechanical equipment is commonly accomplished in the industry using vibration analysis. Several techniques, mainly based on capacitive and piezoelectric accelerometers, have been applied for predictive maintenance. However, the negative influence of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be a real problem when electrical signals are used to detect and transmit physical parameters in noisy environments such as electric power generator plants with high levels of EMI. Optical fiber sensors are increasingly used because of the nonelectrical nature of signals. In this paper, the most frequently used vibration optical fiber sensors will be reviewed, classifying them by the sensing techniques and measurement principles. The main techniques, intensity modulation, fiber bragg gratings and Fabry-P´erot Interferometry, will be reviewed here.
Open Access
Optical fiber sensors based on gold nanorods embedded in polymeric thin films
(Elsevier, 2018) Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Pildain Lería, Ander; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería; Ingeniaritza; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2
In this work, we present a study about the generation and analysis of optical resonances caused by gold nanorods (GNRs) embedded in films. GNRs were embedded in polymeric thin films using the Layerby-Layer nanoassembly (LbL) deposition technique. Polymer/GNRs thin films of different thicknesses were deposited on the surface of cladding removed optical fibers for sensing. The spectral responses of the optical fiber sensors were monitored during the build-up of the thin films. The generation of two Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances (LSPRs) associated to the GNRs was observed in thinner coatings. These devices with around 12 polymer/GNRs bilayers were characterized as refractometers, providing an intensity-based sensitivity up to 75.69 dB/RIU. For thicker polymer/GNRs overlays, both LSPRs bands were also generated and, additionally, it was observed a new Lossy Mode Resonance (LMR) band due to modes coupled to the sensitive coating. The dependence of these three resonance bands with the surrounding refractive index was studied. Finally, these sensors were tested in a climatic chamber in the 20-90% relative humidity (RH) range and the LMR showed a good sensitivity to RH changes while the LSPR bands remained very stable in comparison. Results showed an excellent sensitivity of 11.2 nm/%RH for the LMR, confirming the potential of this type of optical fiber sensor based on the combination of LSPRs and LMRs bands.
Open Access
Humidity sensor based on a long-period fiber grating coated with a hydrophobic thin film
(2010) Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
In this work it is proposed a novel fiber optic humidity sensor based on a functionally coated long-period fiber grating (LPG). The coating is composed of tetraorthosilicate matrix functionalized with perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane and its fabrication was performed by the sol-gel technique using a dip coating process using the LPG as substrate. This technique allows to fabricate sensitive films in a fast and simple way compared to other overlay fabrication techniques. The fabricated sensor was tested in a programmable temperature and climatic chamber. Relative humidity (RH) was varied in range from 20%RH to 80%RH at room temperature. The results showed a smooth exponential-like wavelength shift of the LPG attenuation band.
Open Access
Electrospun nanofiber mats for evanescent optical fiber sensors
(Elsevier, 2013) Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería; Ingeniaritza; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
In this work, a study about the optical response of electrospun nanofiber (ENF) coatings for their use in evanescent optical fiber sensors is presented. Several types of ENF mats composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were developed with different ENF diameters and densities. These ENF mats were deposited onto an optical fiber core in order to fabricate humidity evanescent optical fiber sensors. The devices were exposed to relative humidity (RH) variations from 30% RH to 95%RH. The transfer functions of the devices (transmitted optical power versus relative humidity) presented two well-differenced behaviors depending on the ENF diameter and the ENF mat density. The devices with lower ENF diameters and higher mat density showed an increase in the transmitted optical power when RH increased. On the contrary, the devices with higher ENF diameters and lower mat density showed a decrease in the transmitted optical power when RH increased. In addition to this, sensors with thinner ENF overlays, showed a higher sensitivity. In order to study the response time of these devices, the ENFs sensors were submitted to human breathing cycles and presented a response time around 340 ms (exhalation). In spite of the high RH conditions of this experiment, the devices showed a recovery time around 210 ms and a negligible hysteresis or drift with respect to the initial condition (inhalation).
Open Access
Simultaneous measurement of humidity and temperature based on a partially coated optical fiber long period grating
(Elsevier, 2016) Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Ricchiuti, Amelia L.; Barrera, D.; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
A humidity and temperature optical fiber sensor based on a long-period grating (LPG), which can provide simultaneous response to both magnitudes, is proposed and demonstrated via experiments. Previously, the LPG was fully coated with humidity sensitive nanostructured polymeric thin films by the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) nano assembly technique. Hence the surrounding refractive index was changed, so provoking wavelength shifts of the attenuation bands of the transmission spectrum. This fully coated LPG was exposed to relative humidity (RH) and temperature tests, varying from 20% to 80% RH and from 25 to 85 °C, respectively. Then, half of the LPG coating was chemically removed and this results in the splitting of the main attenuation band into two different contributions. When this semi-coated LPG was also exposed to RH and temperature tests, the new two attenuation bands presented different behaviors for humidity and temperature. This novel dual-wavelength based sensing method enables the simultaneous measurement of RH and temperature using only one LPG.
Open Access
Optical sensors based on lossy-mode resonances
(Elsevier Science, 2017) Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín; Acha Morrás, Nerea de; López Torres, Diego; Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; Sánchez Zábal, Pedro; Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Elosúa Aguado, César; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Bariáin Aisa, Cándido; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Del Villar, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Open Access
Self-referenced optical fiber sensor for hydrogen peroxide detection based on LSPR of metallic nanoparticles in layer-by-layer films
(MDPI, 2019) Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Sada Oreja, Samuel; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniería; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Intensity-based optical fiber sensors are one of the most studied sensor approaches thanks to their simplicity and low cost. Nevertheless, their main issue is their lack of robustness since any light source fluctuation, or unexpected optical setup variation is directly transferred to the output signal, which, significantly reduces their reliability. In this work, a simple and robust hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) optical fiber sensor is proposed based on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) sensitivity of silver and gold metallic nanoparticles. The precise and robust detection of H2O2 concentrations in the ppm range is very interesting for the scientific community, as it is a pathological precursor in a wide variety of damage mechanisms where its presence can be used to diagnose important diseases such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, asthma, or even Alzheimer's disease). In this work, the sensing principle is based the oxidation of the silver nanoparticles due the action of the hydrogen peroxide, and consequently the reduction of the efficiency of the plasmonic coupling. At the same time, gold nanoparticles show a high chemical stability, and therefore provide a stable LSPR absorption band. This provides a stable real-time reference that can be extracted from the spectral response of the optical fiber sensor, giving a reliable reading of the hydrogen peroxide concentration.