Accurate humidity and pH synchronized measurement with temperature compensation based on polarization maintaining fiber

Abstract

Real-time and accurate monitoring of humidity and pH is of great significance in daily life and industrial production. Existing humidity and pH measurement suffer from limitations such as low sensitivity, signal crosstalk, complex system structures, and inability to achieve real-time monitoring. In this work, the surface of a polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) was functionalized with a composite humidity-sensitive polymer composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carbon nanosheets (CNs). A humidity-sensitive film with a microporous structure was prepared on the PMF cladding through high-temperature rapid film formation and laser processing, enhancing humidity sensitivity and stability. To enable pH sensing, poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) were successively adsorbed onto the PMF surface via electrostatic self-assembly, forming a pH-sensitive nanofilm structure. By connecting a temperature-compensated PMF within the same Sagnac loop and combining it with a multi-wavelength matrix, simultaneous real-time monitoring of humidity, pH, and temperature was achieved, effectively solving the issue of temperature crosstalk and extending toward a universal optical fiber multi-parameter measurement platform.