Low-Decay PMMA Fiber Mass Production Technology Makes Breakthrough Progress

- May 18, 2018-

The organic optical waveguide material and device research center led by Prof. Zhen Zhen and Liu Xinhou, researchers at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have overcome the technical difficulties of directly producing PMMA fibers (plastic optical fibers) from the bulk polymerization method and proposed single molecules after years of efforts. Diffusion Transfer Raw Material Purification Technology and Peace Push Thin Layer Bulk Polymerization New Technology Preparation of high-purity fiber grade PMMA raw materials and their associated clad materials to form a high-purity fiber grade PMMA optical molding compound with independent intellectual property rights (core layer The core technologies for the preparation of materials and cortical materials have successfully solved the key technical problems in the industrialization approach and mass production equipment and processes.


      Recently, PMMA fiber with an optical attenuation of 170~200dB/km has been produced for several months on its own fully-automated production line that produces 100,000 meters of PMMA fiber, and a batch of PMMA fibers with an optical attenuation of 150dB/km has been basically formed. The potential for production and product technical indicators have reached the best level of similar products in the world. Low-attenuation PMMA fiber mass production technology has received strong support from the CAS's material science base during the development process. At present, this result has attracted the attention of a number of related companies. The physics and chemistry institute hopes to push this achievement to scale industrialization as soon as possible through cooperation with related companies.


     With the arrival of informatization, people are increasingly pressing on the need for optical fibers with large information capacity as the communication medium for the communication system, and thus the demands for the bandwidth of communication networks, especially the broadband access of home access networks, are getting stronger. PMMA fiber has the advantages of large core diameter, soft texture, easy connection, light weight, low price, large transmission bandwidth, etc., in broadband access network systems, home intelligent network systems, data transmission systems, automotive intelligent systems, industrial control systems and textiles Lighting, lighting, solar energy utilization systems and other aspects have a huge application prospects. In recent years, the demand for PMMA fiber has rapidly increased. According to statistics, the international sales volume in 2005 has reached billions of dollars. Currently, only low-loss plastic optical fiber suitable for data transmission can be produced by Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, and China needs to import a large amount from Japan every year. The advent of physics and chemistry institute low attenuation PMMA optical fiber serial mass production technology will break Japan's monopoly in this field.