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Peer-reviewedCC BYBiosensors

Multiscale Microparticle Trapping Through Tapered-Fiber Structures and Refractive-Index Modulation.

  • Xiaoyue Chen1
  • Yubin Xiong2
  • Hanbing Zhu3
  • Yinhong Su4
  • Leyi Zheng1
  • Mu Ku Chen2
  • Meng Zhang3
  • Lip Ket Chin5,6
  • Wu Zhang1
6 affiliations
  1. 1School of Physics and Material Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
  2. 2Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China.
  3. 3School of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
  4. 4School of Economics and Statistics, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
  5. 5Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China.
  6. 6Research Institute for Quantum Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China.
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Abstract

Tapered optical fibers reshape optical fields in confined spaces, enabling versatile microparticle trapping. This study establishes a continuous framework spanning near-field confinement, far-field extension, and environmental modulation by comparing flame-tapered and machine-pulled fibers. Flame tapering produces sharp tips with micrometer-scale foci; taper angles of 24°, 40°, and 60° yield focal positions of 0.2, 5.1, and 7.0 µm, respectively. A 980 nm laser is used, and stable trapping and probe-guided transport of 20 µm polystyrene microspheres were achieved at a threshold of 84 mW, with dual-particle trapping demonstrated via microlens-induced secondary potential wells. In contrast, machine-assisted tapering generates smooth end faces and long transition regions, extending working distances to 67, 122, and 163 µm. A long-transition probe further produced dual axial potential wells that stably confined 5 µm microspheres at 143 and 286 µm at powers above 500 mW. Environmental modulation revealed that increasing the external refractive index from 1.33 to 1.36 shifted the simulated focal positions from 40 to 55 µm, while ethanol-water evaporation experimentally reduced the trapping distances from 353 to 236 µm. These results show that fiber geometry defines the trapping range, whereas refractive index tunes the precise trapping position, offering a compact platform for multiscale manipulation with potential applications in cell positioning and sorting in liquid environments.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{chen2026multiscale,
  title = {{Multiscale Microparticle Trapping Through Tapered-Fiber Structures and Refractive-Index Modulation.}},
  author = {Xiaoyue Chen and Yubin Xiong and Hanbing Zhu and Yinhong Su and Leyi Zheng and Mu Ku Chen and Meng Zhang and Lip Ket Chin and Wu Zhang},
  journal = {Biosensors},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/bios16100557},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930105},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Multiscale Microparticle Trapping Through Tapered-Fiber Structures and Refractive-Index Modulation.
AU  - Xiaoyue Chen
AU  - Yubin Xiong
AU  - Hanbing Zhu
AU  - Yinhong Su
AU  - Leyi Zheng
AU  - Mu Ku Chen
AU  - Meng Zhang
AU  - Lip Ket Chin
AU  - Wu Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/03
JO  - Biosensors
DO  - 10.3390/bios16100557
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930105
AB  - Tapered optical fibers reshape optical fields in confined spaces, enabling versatile microparticle trapping. This study establishes a continuous framework spanning near-field confinement, far-field extension, and environmental modulation by comparing flame-tapered and machine-pulled fibers. Flame tapering produces sharp tips with micrometer-scale foci; taper angles of 24°, 40°, and 60° yield focal positions of 0.2, 5.1, and 7.0 µm, respectively. A 980 nm laser is used, and stable trapping and probe-guided transport of 20 µm polystyrene microspheres were achieved at a threshold of 84 mW, with dual-particle trapping demonstrated via microlens-induced secondary potential wells. In contrast, machine-assisted tapering generates smooth end faces and long transition regions, extending working distances to 67, 122, and 163 µm. A long-transition probe further produced dual axial potential wells that stably confined 5 µm microspheres at 143 and 286 µm at powers above 500 mW. Environmental modulation revealed that increasing the external refractive index from 1.33 to 1.36 shifted the simulated focal positions from 40 to 55 µm, while ethanol-water evaporation experimentally reduced the trapping distances from 353 to 236 µm. These results show that fiber geometry defines the trapping range, whereas refractive index tunes the precise trapping position, offering a compact platform for multiscale manipulation with potential applications in cell positioning and sorting in liquid environments.
SN  - 2079-6374
ER  -