Light has travelled through a wood-based optical fibre, offering the possibility of biodegradable Internet of Things (IoT) sensors or simple moisture monitors.
Researchers at VTT made the new fibre, which has a core of wood cellulose modified with ionic solvents developed at the Finnish research centre. The core has a cladding of cellulose acetate.
Light can travel through the fibre because the cladding has a lower index of refraction than the core. The rays are reflected back into the core from the interface of the core and the cladding.
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