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Effect of Alkali Hydroxides on the Strength and Fatigue of Fused Silica Optical Fiber
Author(s) -
Matthewson M. John,
Rondinella Vincenzo V.,
Lin Bochein,
Keyes Scott W.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1991.tb06805.x
Subject(s) - tetramethylammonium hydroxide , alkali metal , hydroxide , aqueous solution , dissolution , tetramethylammonium , fiber , materials science , silica fiber , etching (microfabrication) , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , mineralogy , ion , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , fiber laser , layer (electronics)
A two‐point bend technique is used to determine the strength of “pristine” bare fused silica optical fiber in aqueous solutions of the group I alkali metal hydroxides (Li through Cs) in the concentration range 10 −4 N to 1 N (pH range 10 to 14). In the highest concentration solutions, a strong cation effect is exhibited with a minimum strength for KOH while fibers in LiOH and CsOH are typically 20% and 10% stronger, respectively. The cation effect decreases with decreasing concentration until at 10 −4 N no effect is apparent. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide gives intermediate strengths between CsOH and LiOH. The results correlate closely with published results for the dissolution rate of silica which exhibit a maximum rate for KOH. In contrast, the results do not correlated with published subcritical crack growth data which show no cation effect for Na through Cs. These results support the pit etching model for pristine fiber strength proposed by Kurkjian et al. and argue against the presence of cracks or cracklike objects in these materials.