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Volume 25
Issue 23
10.3390/s25237349
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

All-Polymer Multilayer Lab-on-Fiber Ultrasonic Detectors in the Biomedical Field: A Numerical Study in Pursuit of Photoacoustic Applications

by
Barbara Rossi
1,
Maria Alessandra Cutolo
2,
Paolo Massimo Aiello
1,
Giovanni Breglio
1,
Andrea Cusano
2 and
Martino Giaquinto
3,*
1
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
2
Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
3
Department of Information Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2025, 25(23), 7349; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237349 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 October 2025 / Revised: 27 November 2025 / Accepted: 29 November 2025 / Published: 2 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Chemical Sensors)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The development of minimally invasive diagnostic devices in the biomedical field has grown significantly, especially those that take advantage of photoacoustic phenomena. Photoacoustic imaging is an imaging technique that exploits the photoacoustic effect, relying on the conversion of absorbed light into ultrasound waves. Thanks to lab-on-fiber technology, optical fiber can be functionalized to generate and receive a photoacoustic signal. Weak acoustic signals often limit this process, as conversion efficiency can be influenced by factors such as tissue heterogeneity, light scattering, and the attenuation of the acoustic waves within tissues. Consequently, there is significant interest in the development of highly sensitive systems with broad bandwidths. While the literature has largely focused on standard devices utilizing the interferometric effect in homogeneous slabs, this study explores the potential of multilayer structures that leverage Bragg reflection to be realized on the fiber tip. We numerically investigated both periodic and aperiodic designs of polymeric multilayer structures to further enhance the optical performance of opto-acoustic sensors. We demonstrate an enhancement in sensitivity of up to about three orders of magnitude without compromising bandwidth. This work highlights the advantages of multilayer sensor designs in improving sensitivity and performance for high-frequency opto-acoustic sensing.
Keywords: lab-on-fiber technology; fiber-optic sensors; fiber-optics lab-on-fiber technology; fiber-optic sensors; fiber-optics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rossi, B.; Cutolo, M.A.; Aiello, P.M.; Breglio, G.; Cusano, A.; Giaquinto, M. All-Polymer Multilayer Lab-on-Fiber Ultrasonic Detectors in the Biomedical Field: A Numerical Study in Pursuit of Photoacoustic Applications. Sensors 2025, 25, 7349. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237349

AMA Style

Rossi B, Cutolo MA, Aiello PM, Breglio G, Cusano A, Giaquinto M. All-Polymer Multilayer Lab-on-Fiber Ultrasonic Detectors in the Biomedical Field: A Numerical Study in Pursuit of Photoacoustic Applications. Sensors. 2025; 25(23):7349. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237349

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rossi, Barbara, Maria Alessandra Cutolo, Paolo Massimo Aiello, Giovanni Breglio, Andrea Cusano, and Martino Giaquinto. 2025. "All-Polymer Multilayer Lab-on-Fiber Ultrasonic Detectors in the Biomedical Field: A Numerical Study in Pursuit of Photoacoustic Applications" Sensors 25, no. 23: 7349. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237349

APA Style

Rossi, B., Cutolo, M. A., Aiello, P. M., Breglio, G., Cusano, A., & Giaquinto, M. (2025). All-Polymer Multilayer Lab-on-Fiber Ultrasonic Detectors in the Biomedical Field: A Numerical Study in Pursuit of Photoacoustic Applications. Sensors, 25(23), 7349. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25237349

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