Ultrasensitive nanomechanical instruments, e.g., atomic force microscopy (AFM), can be used to perform delicate biomechanical measurements and reveal the complex mechanical environment of biological processes. However, these instruments are limited because of their size and complex feedback system. Here, we demonstrate a miniature fiber optical nanomechanical probe (FONP) that can be used to detect the mechanical properties of single cells. The stiffness matching of the FONP and sample can be realized by customizing the microcantilever’s spring constant. As a proof-of concept, three FONPs with spring constants varying from 0.421 N/m to 52.6 N/m by more than two orders of magnitude were prepared. The Young's modulus of heterogeneous soft materials, such as polydimethylsiloxane, onion cells and MCF-7 cells, were successfully measured. FONP has made substantial progress in realizing basic biological discoveries, and our strategy provides a universal protocol for directly programming fiber-optic AFMs.
Due to the exponential growth of data in the information society, there is a growing number of optical fibers as the main channels for data transmission. How to label the fiber channels clearly is one of the most critical issues to maintain the normal flow of work in communication systems. Conventional fiber channel labeling relies on physical numbering, which significantly increases the routine maintenance cost when dealing with numerous optical transmission links. This means that the existing methods can no longer meet the growing marking function of optical fiber transmission networks. As an important fiber device, fiber Bragg grating has shown great potential in optical fiber communication systems because of its good stability, anti-electromagnetic interference, and so on. In this work, we propose a fiber tag based on a fiber Bragg grating array fabricated by a highly efficient femtosecond-laser point-by-point inscription. Each Bragg grating in the fiber tag can be recognized by demodulating the time domain reflection signal characteristics of the fiber. By analyzing the spatial distribution information of the Bragg grating segment and demodulating the information carried by the fiber tag with the preset grating segment length, the feasibility of the information carried by the fiber tag is proved. Combined with the characteristics of Bragg grating with specific wavelength response, using different wavelengths of detection light to read the time-domain reflection signal of fiber tags, provides a method to improve the information storage capacity of fiber tags. This also implies that the wavelength range of the detection light will affect the acquired label information, which will bring interferences to the correct acquisition of the information carried by the tag. The proposed optical fiber tag is fully compatible with the existing fiber-optic communication network without additional physical labeling by using the physical characteristics as the basis of the coding mark, providing an innovative solution for the efficient labeling of numerous fiber transmission channels.
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