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Bioresorbable photonic implants are emerging as potential material choice for interstitial theranostic and monitoring applications. They gradually dissolve within the physiological environment in a clinically relevant period, eliminating the need for extraction surgeries. In the present study, we tested the suitability of in-house fabricated bioresorbable optical fibres based on calcium phosphate (CaP) glass for diffuse correlation spectroscopic (DCS) and diffuse fluorescence tomographic (DFT) applications. The results represent the potential of bioresorbable fibers for the monitoring of interstitial microvascular blood flow and the spatial distribution of fluorescent photosensitizer drugs that are administered prior to therapies. Together or separate, the continuous monitoring of these parameters can have significant implications in planning, optimizing and in predicting or monitoring the outcomes in interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT).

In the upcoming space revolutions aiming at the implementation of automated, smart, and self-aware crewless vehicles and reusable spacecraft, sensors play a significant role in the control systems. In particular, fiber optic sensors, with their small footprint and electromagnetic immunity, represent a great opportunity in aerospace. The radiation environment and the harsh conditions in which these sensors will operate represent a challenge for the potential user in the aerospace vehicle design and the fiber optic sensor specialist. We present a review that aims to be a primer in the field of fiber optic sensors in radiation environments for aerospace. We review the main aerospace requirements and their relationship with fiber optics. We also present a brief overview of fiber optics and sensors based on them. Finally, we present different examples of applications in radiation environments for aerospace applications.

The nucleation and growth behavior of glasses with the composition (75 NaPO 3 -25 CaF 2 ) 100- x -(TiO 2 /ZnO/MgO) x , with x = 0 and x = 1.5 (in mol%) is investigated. The glasses possess similar activation energy for crystallization and Johnson-Mehl-Avrami exponent, with value 2 confirming bulk crystallization of crystals with needle like shape. The Ti and Mg glasses exhibit broader nucleation curve and higher T n max than the x = 0 and Zn glasses due to their stronger field strength. The crystal growth rates were determined and validated using SEM. Finally, we showed that the nucleation and growth of glasses can be controlled due to the large difference between onset of crystallization and maximum nucleation temperature which is crucial when preparing novel transparent glass-ceramics., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

In this work, the spectroscopy of Er 3+ and Nd 3+ doped Se-GLS glasses was studied. A structural comparison between doped and non-doped samples was done to assess the differences between the glasses. For this comparison, Raman spectroscopy and thermal analysis were employed. The spectral properties of the samples were studied in order to identify the mechanisms responsible for quenching the fluorescence lifetime of the dopants. In particular, cross-relaxation and concentration quenching were observed in Nd 3+ doped samples, whilst co-operative upconversion, radiation trapping and concentration quenching were observed in Er 3+ doped samples. The results obtained demonstrated the fundamental role of the phonon energy in the mechanism of fluorescence. The low phonon energy of chalcogenides decreased the rate of non-radiative processes promoting co-operative upconversion. This effect could be exploited to design new lasers and sensitizers for solar energy harvesters., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Novel bone glass fibre scaffolds were developed by thermally bonding phosphate glass fibres belonging to the P2O5-CaO-Na2O-SiO2-MgO-K2O-TiO2 system (TiPS2.5 glass). Scaffolds with fibres of 85 or 110μm diameter were fabricated, showing compressive strength in the range of 2-3.5MPa, comparable to that of the trabecular bone. The effect of different thermal treatments and fibre diameters and length on the final scaffold structure was investigated by means of micro-CT analysis. The change of the sintering time from 30 to 60min led to a decrease in the scaffold overall porosity from 58 to 21vol.% for the 85μm fibre scaffold and from 50 to 40vol.% when increasing the sintering temperature from 490 to 500°C for the 110μm fibre scaffold. The 85μm fibres resulted in an increase of the scaffold overall porosity, increased pore size and lower trabecular thickness; the use of different fibre diameters allowed the fabrication of a scaffold showing a porosity gradient. In order to impart bioactive properties to the scaffold, for the first time in the literature the introduction in these fibre scaffolds of a bioactive phase, a melt-derived bioactive glass (CEL2) powder or spray-dried mesoporous bioactive glass particles (SD-MBG) was investigated. The scaffold bioactivity was assessed through soaking in simulated body fluid. CEL2/glass fibre scaffold did not show promising results due to particle detachment from the fibres during soaking in simulated body fluid. Instead the use of mesoporous bioactive powders showed to be an effective way to impart bioactivity to the scaffold and could be further exploited in the future through the ability of mesoporous particles to act as systems for the controlled release of drugs., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We report on the fabrication and optical assessment of an all-solid tellurite-glass photonic bandgap fiber. The manufacturing process via a preform drawing approach and the fiber characterization procedures are described and discussed. The fiber exhibits some minor morphological deformations that do not prevent the observation of optical confinement within the fiber by bandgap effects. The experimental fiber attenuation spectrum displays clear bandgap confinement regions whose positions are confirmed by modeling the guiding properties of the ideal geometry using a plane-wave expansion method. The model identifies the bound modes of the structure and provides confirmation of experimentally observed mode field profiles.

The design and fabrication of a tellurite glass multimode optical fiber for magneto-optical applications are presented and discussed. The analysis of the polarization shows that an optical beam, linearly polarized at the fiber input, changes to elliptically polarized with an ellipticity of 1∶4.5 after propagating down the fiber. However, the elliptical distribution remains unchanged with or without an applied magnetic field, demonstrating that no circular dichroism occurs within the fiber. The Verdet constant of the tellurite glass in the fiber is measured to be 28±0.5  rad·(T·m)-1, diverging by less than 3% from the Verdet constant found on the same glass composition in bulk form. These results demonstrate the feasibility to develop reliable tellurite glass fibers by the preform drawing method for magneto-optical applications.