Studies on optical properties of methacrylate-based photopolymers for 3D printed optical waveguides | |
| Author | Sharma, Kunal |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.ISE-21-07 |
| Subject(s) | Photopolymers Three-dimensional printing Nanoparticles |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Engineering in Nanotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. ISE-21-07 |
| Abstract | In this study the optical properties of methacrylate-based photopolymers were explored, using the stereolithography-based 3D printed optical waveguides. A first order model was developed to estimate surface scattering losses in the waveguide and how the transmission of the light through the waveguide would change when the waveguide interacts with solvents. This study revealed that in the presence of solvents, a dynamic gain in the optical power through the 3D printed waveguide was observed due to the formation of a swelling layer at the surface producing a cladding effect. The degree of swelling depends on the solvent’s absorption affinity for the methacrylate-based polymer and the refractive index of the individual solvents here had a trivial role to play in the optical power gain. When physically interacted with solvents, the methacrylate-based waveguide exhibited significant optical gain in the transmitted light, confirming the theoretical observations. When the waveguide was tested with solvents having different absorption affinities for the methacrylate-based polymer but having a similar refractive index, the highest optical gain was produced by the solvent with the highest absorption affinity for the photopolymer, as it develops more homogenous and thicker swelling layer and hence effective cladding. This showed that the effectiveness of the swelling layer to act as cladding depends on how well the given solvent can be absorbed in the polymer rather than the refractive index of the solvent. The methacrylate-based waveguide was further studied for its temperature-dependent properties. It was found that the optical transmittance through the waveguide changes with a change in the ambient temperature. However, the methacrylate-based waveguide did not show a consistent optical output and failed to produce a change in the optical output when tested for multiple cycles. To address this issue, we embedded gold nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. When tested, the gold nanoparticle incorporated waveguides showed more stable results. For a change of surrounding temperature from room temperature to 45 °C, we observed consistent optical transmittance change between 90 to 98%, respectively and up to 20 repeated heating and cooling cycles the waveguide exhibited similar behavior. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. ISE-21-07 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (DISE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Bora, Tanujjal;Mohammed, Waleed (Co-Chairperson); |
| Examination Committee(s) | Loc Thai Nguyen;Hornyak, Gabor Louis; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ideal Fastener Asia Ltd., Hong Kong;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |