Hybrid glass coatings for optical fibers: effect of coating thickness on strength and dynamic fatigue characteristics of silica fibers

Specialty optical fibers operating in harsh aerospace environments are typically exposed to high temperatures and elevated humidity. This calls for better performing protective coatings. Recently developed sol-gel derived inorganicorganic hybrid materials called hybrid glass offered improved protective performance as compared to standard dual polymer coated fibers [1]. In this paper we examine the effectiveness of online UV curing for the protective ability of hybrid glass coatings. For this purpose two types of UV-curable hybrid glass candidates representing two different concentrations of acrylate groups were applied online to silica fibers as single and dual coats. Samples of fibers were collected and subjected to dynamic fatigue testing by two-point bending. The stress corrosion parameter, n, as well as the strength of the fibers were determined. Both the strength and n were higher for fibers with two layers of coating as compared to single coatings even when the thickness of both one and two layer coatings was the same. This may be caused by the greater degree of cross linking of the inorganic component when the coating is exposed twice to the heat generated in the UV chamber. Coating materials with reduced acrylate group content had higher values of the fatigue parameter n but at the same time reduced strength.