Agradecimentos: This research was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) under grant 2017/25666-2; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq); Coordenacao de Pessoal e Nivel Superior (CAPES) under Finance Code 001; and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science...

Agradecimentos: This research was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) under grant 2017/25666-2; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq); Coordenacao de Pessoal e Nivel Superior (CAPES) under Finance Code 001; and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI) under grant JP18K18799

Abstract: Biocompatible and resorbable optical fibres emerge as promising technologies for in vivo applications like imaging, light delivery for phototherapy and optogenetics, and localised drug-delivery, as well as for biochemical sensing, wherein the probe can be implanted and then completely...

Abstract: Biocompatible and resorbable optical fibres emerge as promising technologies for in vivo applications like imaging, light delivery for phototherapy and optogenetics, and localised drug-delivery, as well as for biochemical sensing, wherein the probe can be implanted and then completely absorbed by the organism. Biodegradable waveguides based on glasses, hydrogels, and silk have been reported, but most of these devices rely on complex fabrication procedures. In this sense, this paper proposes a novel structured optical fibre made of agarose, a transparent, edible material used in culture media and tissue engineering. The fibre is obtained by pouring food-grade agar into a mould with stacked rods, forming a solid core surrounded by air holes in which the refractive index and fibre geometry can be tailored by choosing the agarose solution composition and mould design, respectively. Besides exhibiting practical transmittance at 633nm in relation to other hydrogel waveguides, the fibre is also validated for chemical sensing either by detecting volume changes due to agar swelling/dehydration or modulating the transmitted light by inserting fluids into the air holes. Therefore, the proposed agarose-based structured optical fibre is an easy-to-fabricate, versatile technology with possible applications for medical imaging and in vivo biochemical sensing

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP

2017/25666-2

CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQ

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES

001

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