Thermal and Mechanical Analysis of Cross-Linked Optical Fiber Coatings

A convenient route to enhancing the thermal degradation on-set temperature of existing commercial optical fiber coatings is presented. UV curable acrylate coatings were modified through the addition of a multi-functional cross-linking agent and are shown to increase their degradation temperature by 65^degC without any degradation in the mechanical or optical properties of the resultant fiber. Such enhanced thermal robustness in coatings is important for optical fiber applications in high energy laser (HEL) systems and selected higher temperature sensing environments.