Structured liquid-based reconfigurable all-liquid optical fibers.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41476162.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67954-4 and PMC identifier 12859063.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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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<sup>-1</sup>, 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.