Abstract: An edible fiber contains a biopolymer and a plasticiser. A weight ratio of the biopolymer to the plasticiser is about 1:0.25 to about 1:3. The fiber has a diameter of about 0.5 ?m to about 1 mm.

Abstract: One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of fabricating a chemically active fibre device (1) by thermal drawing. The method comprises the steps of providing a preform, the preform comprising a support element (3) at least partially made of a first polymeric material; and carrying out a thermal drawing process of the preform to produce a thermally drawn fibre. The preform comprises one or more chemically active agents and/or biological materials configured to react with a fluid sample when the one or more chemically active agents and/or biological materials are in contact with the fluid sample. In this manner miniaturised lab-in-fibre devices can be fabricated.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a fibre comprising a lined channel, using a draw apparatus, the method comprising: providing a preform, comprising a channel extending through the preform, to the draw apparatus; feeding a liner into the channel; heating a portion of the preform; and drawing the heated portion of the preform in order to form a fibre, wherein the liner is held within the channel of the fibre to provide a lined channel within the fibre.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing glass-based micro- and nanostructure comprising the step of dewetting a thin-film glass layer on a textured substrate to form the micro- and nanostructure from the thin-film glass layer.

Abstract: The present invention concerns an elongated capacitive sensor for fluid monitoring. The sensor comprising: a fibre support made of a dielectric material or dielectric composite material; and a first electrode and a second electrode arranged longitudinally along the fibre support, the first and second electrodes forming together with the fibre support a capacitive sensing element whose capacitance is dependent upon one or more electrical properties of one or more materials inside the support and/or outside the support, and/or is dependent upon a change of materials configuration and associated overall change of one or more electrical properties inside the support and/or outside the support.

Abstract: A sensor comprising an elongate member comprising an electrochemical sensor comprising an electrochemical filament extending along the length of the elongate member, wherein the elongate member comprises a fibre formed from a drawable material.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a thermal drawing method for forming fibers, wherein said fibers are made at least from a stretchable polymer. The present invention also concerns drawn fibers made by the process.

Abstract: The invention provides an edible fiber comprising a biopolymer and a plasticiser; wherein the weight ratio of biopolymer to plasticiser is about 1:0.25 to about 1:3; and wherein the fiber has a diameter of about 0.5 ?m to about 1 mm.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing glass-based micro- and nanostructure comprising the step of dewetting a thin-film glass layer on a textured substrate to form the micro- and nanostructure from the thin-film glass layer.

Abstract: The method for drawing a fiber with a textured surface comprises the following steps: —forming of a preform from which the fiber is to be drawn with a textured surface; —addition of an outer layer to the textured preform to preserve the shape of the texture of the preform surface during the drawing operation; —drawing of a fiber from the preform, whereby the fiber keeps the formed texture of the preform surface and —removing the additional outer layer to leave the original surface textured fiber exposed. The obtained fiber can be used as a mold to form a textured hollow channel in another material, as a surface coating and as a pressure detector.

Abstract: There is provided a sensor fiber including an electrically insulating material having a fiber length. At least one transduction element is disposed along at least a portion of the fiber length and is arranged for exposure to an intake species. A photoconducting element is in optical communication with the transduction element. At least one pair of electrically conducting electrodes are in electrical connection with the photoconducting element. The pair of electrodes extend the fiber length.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a thermal drawing method for forming fibers, wherein said fibers are made at least from a stretchable polymer. The present invention also concerns drawn fibers made by the process.

Abstract: The method for drawing a fiber with a textured surface comprises the following steps: —forming of a preform from which the fiber is to be drawn with a textured surface; —addition of an outer layer to the textured preform to preserve the shape of the texture of the preform surface during the drawing operation; —drawing of a fiber from the preform, whereby the fiber keeps the formed texture of the preform surface and—removing the additional outer layer to leave the original surface textured fiber exposed. The obtained fiber can be used as a mold to form a textured hollow channel in another material, as a surface coating and as a pressure detector.

Abstract: The invention provides techniques for drawing fibers that include conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials in intimate contact and prescribed geometries. The resulting fiber exhibits engineered electrical and optical functionalities along extended fiber lengths. The invention provides corresponding processes for producing such fibers, including assembling a fiber preform of a plurality of distinct materials, e.g., of conducting, semiconducting, and insulating materials, and drawing the preform into a fiber.

Abstract: There is provided a sensor fiber including an electrically insulating material having a fiber length. At least one transduction element is disposed along at least a portion of the fiber length and is arranged for exposure to an intake species. A photoconducting element is in optical communication with the transduction element. At least one pair of electrically conducting electrodes are in electrical connection with the photoconducting element. The pair of electrodes extend the fiber length.

Abstract: Fiber draw synthesis process. The process includes arranging reactants in the solid state in proximate domains within a fiber preform. The preform is fluidized at a temperature below the melting temperature of the reactants. The fluidized preform is drawn into a fiber thereby bringing the reagents in the proximate domains into intimate contact with one another resulting in a chemical reaction between the reactants thereby synthesizing a compound within the fiber. The reactants may be dissolved or mixed in a host material within the preform. In a preferred embodiment, the reactants are selenium and zinc.

Abstract: Photodetecting fiber. The fiber detects and localizes an incident optical beam. A semiconducting core is in intimate contact with a material forming a resistive channel that breaks axial symmetry. The resistive channel has a resistivity between that of metals and the semiconducting core, enabling the imposition of non-uniform, convex electric potential distributions along the fiber axis allowing photo-current measurements along the fiber.

Abstract: The laser includes an optical fiber including a cavity containing a microfluidic gain medium bounded by a composite structure of alternating layers of high and low index materials forming an axially invariant, rotationally symmetric photonic bandgap cavity. The optical fiber also includes at least one microfluidic channel containing liquid crystal modulators in the fiber cladding extending in an axial direction and further includes a pair of electrodes flanking the microfluidic channel. An electrical potential across the pair of electrodes will rotate the liquid crystal molecules to rotate the linearly polarized state of light emitted from the cavity. An external linear polarizer is disposed around the fiber to modulate azimuthal laser intensity distribution.

Abstract: Fiber draw synthesis process. The process includes arranging reactants in the solid state in proximate domains within a fiber preform. The preform is fluidized at a temperature below the melting temperature of the reactants. The fluidized preform is drawn into a fiber thereby bringing the reagents in the proximate domains into intimate contact with one another resulting in a chemical reaction between the reactants thereby synthesizing a compound within the fiber. The reactants may be dissolved or mixed in a host material within the preform. In a preferred embodiment, the reactants are selenium and zinc.

Abstract: Photodetecting fiber. The fiber detects and localizes an incident optical beam. A semiconducting core is in intimate contact with a material forming a resistive channel that breaks axial symmetry. The resistive channel has a resistivity between that of metals and the semiconducting core, enabling the imposition of non-uniform, convex electric potential distributions along the fiber axis allowing photo-current measurements along the fiber.