An optical fluorescence sensor for IoT application in direct visualization of the curing process in polymer matrices

Abstract

The fluorescence of chemical compounds depends on a variety of chemical and physical factors. Two of them are viscosity and polarity; however, in the case of fluorescence sensing, external factors can act only in proximity to fluorescent molecules, and for that reason, they are called microviscosity and micropolarity. During polymerization, the microviscosity and micropolarity change, inducing a change in the emission spectra of fluorescent molecules. This change can be monitored to provide information about polymerization processes. Owing to simplification, minimalization, miniaturization, reduction of the financial outlay, and possible attunement with computer-controlled techniques, the adaptive fluorescent probe technique (FPT) can be applied as one of the most interesting gauges in the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling an online preview of ongoing photopolymerization processes using a single sensor. Owing to this simplification, the FPT can be unified with existing technologies, for example, DLP 3D printing, and can provide unique information about the polymerization process. The synthesis, validation, and application of the simplified FPT as an IoT polymerization sensor are discussed in this paper.