A herringbone "easy axis" pattern is scribed into a polyimide alignment layer for liquid-crystal orientation using the stylus of an atomic force microscope. Owing to the liquid crystal's bend elasticity K33 , the nematic director is unable to follow the sharp turn in the scribed easy axis, but instead relaxes over an extrapolation length L=K33/W2φ, where W2φ is the quadratic azimuthal anchoring...

The gas-filled hollow-core fiber compression and the optical filamentation technique are compared experimentally in a parameter regime suitable for intense few-cycle pulse generation. In particular, pointing stability, spectral properties, and spatial chirp are investigated. It is found that in the case of filamentation, the critical parameter for pointing stability is gas pressure inside the g...

We report a simple method of creating terahertz waves by applying the photo-Dember effect in a (100)-oriented InAs film coated onto the 45-degree wedged-end facet of an optical fiber. The terahertz waves are generated by infrared pulses guided through the optical fiber which is nearly in contact with a sample and then measured by a conventional photo-conductive antenna detector. Using this alig...

We demonstrate an integrated fiber optic photoluminescence sensing platform using a novel single-multi-mode fiber coupler (SMFC)-based probe with high collection efficiency for fluorescence signals. The SMFC, prepared using fused biconical taper technology, not only transmits excitation light, but also collects and transmits fluorescence. The entire system does not use complex optical component...

This paper presents a new research study on the platform fabrication of fluorescence bio-detection chip with an optical fiber transmission. Anisotropic wet etching on (100) silicon wafers to fabrication V-groove for optical fiber alignment and micro-mirror were included. Combing with anodic bonding technique to adhere glass, silicon structure and optical fiber for a fluorescence excitation plat...

Vascularization enables multifunctional composites capable of self-healing, thermal regulation, electrical and magnetic modulation, and damage sensing. In this study, the effect of vascular channels on the in-plane tensile properties and damage progression of three-dimensional orthogonally woven textile composites is examined. Vascular channels are manufactured by Vaporization of Sacrificial Co...

Imaging fiber bundles can map the curved image surface formed by some high-performance lenses onto flat focal plane detectors. The relative alignment between the focal plane array pixels and the quasi-periodic fiber-bundle cores can impose an undesirable space variant moiré pattern, but this effect may be greatly reduced by flat-field calibration, provided that the local responsivity is known. ...

A novel miniature rotation device used in conjunction with a scanning transmission x-ray microscope is described. It provides convenient in situ sample rotation to enable measurements of linear dichroism at high spatial resolution. The design, fabrication, and mechanical characterization are presented. This device has been used to generate quantitative maps of the spatial distribution of the or...

The unique and exceptional physical properties of carbon nanotubes have inspired their use as a filler within a polymeric matrix to produce carbon nanotube polymer composites with enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. A powerful method of synthesising nanofibers comprising these polymer composites is electrospinning, which utilises an applied electric stress to draw out a thin...

Synthetic neural scaffolds hold promise to eventually replace nerve autografts for tissue repair following peripheral nerve injury. Despite substantial evidence for the influence of scaffold geometry and dimensions on the rate of axonal growth, systematic evaluation of these parameters remains a challenge due to limitations in materials processing. We have employed fiber drawing to engineer a w...