DOE OSTI · 3024243
Structured liquid-based reconfigurable all-liquid optical fibers
Abstract
Quartz optical fibers are brittle, difficult to repair, and lack reconfigurability, limiting their adaptability in underwater communication. To overcome these impediments, here we show reconfigurable all-liquid optical fibers (RAOFs) produced by structured liquid, tuned by the interfacial assembly and jamming of nanoparticle surfactants at the water-oil interface (interfacial tension <10 mN m -1 , refractive index contrast of 0.083). These RAOFs combine the structural stability of the interfacial assemblies with the inherent flexibility of liquids. They support real-time communication on an Ethernet platform (up to 1 Gbps), providing a practical alternative to conventional optical fibers for optical interconnects. Their liquid nature enables broken fibers to be repaired rapidly by a coalescence process. Their softness affords on-demand reconfigurability that enables in-situ fabrication of reconfigurable optical fibers and dynamic manipulation of signal transmission. RAOFs provide a versatile, self-healing, and resilient solution for optical communication systems in dynamic environments.
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Zhao, Sai [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute (CityUHKSRI) (China)] (ORCID:0000000193626835), Wang, Yufeng [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen (China)], Tang, Xinke [Pengcheng Laboratory, Shenzhen (China)], Zhang, Jiangang [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute (CityUHKSRI) (China)], Wu, Weixi [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute (CityUHKSRI) (China)], Fu, Yuchen [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute (CityUHKSRI) (China)], Chu, Sai Tak [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong)] (ORCID:0000000182638507), Ren, Yang [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong)] (ORCID:0000000198316035), Liu, Xubo [Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)] (ORCID:0000000222310208), Guan, Xun [Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)], Russell, Thomas P. [University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan)] (ORCID:0000000163845826), Chai, Yu [City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute (CityUHKSRI) (China)] (ORCID:0000000160854321). 2025-12-31. Structured liquid-based reconfigurable all-liquid optical fibers. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67954-4
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