Optical Fiber, Optical Fiber Cable and Communication Equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334548-A1
Application number	US-201515111581-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is an optical fiber which has exceptional heat resistance and is highly safe. This optical fiber has a core, and a sheath of a least one layer around the outside circumference of the core, the sheath including a polymer that contains a repeating unit (A) derived from a fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate having a specific structure.

First claim

1 . An optical fiber, comprising:
a core; and at least one cladding layer formed on the periphery of the core, wherein the cladding layer comprises a polymer having a repeating unit (A) derived from a fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1) or (2) below,:

wherein in formula (1), m is an integer of 1 or 2, n is an integer of 5 to 7, and R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group;

wherein in formula (2), m is an integer of 1 or 2, n is an integer of 5 to 8, and R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group.

2 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1) or (2) is the fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1).

3 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1) or (2) is 2-(perfluorohexyl)ethyl methacrylate.

4 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer further contains a repeating unit (B) derived from a fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (3) below:

wherein in formula (3), p is an integer of 1 or 2, q is an integer of 1 to 4, R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and X is a hydrogen atom or fluorine atom.

5 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer further comprises a repeating unit (C) derived from alkyl (meth)acrylate that does not include a fluorine atom.

6 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer further comprises a repeating unit (D) derived from a hydrophilic monomer.

7 . The optical fiber according to claim 4 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer comprises the following relative to 100 mass % of the polymer: 15 to 60 mass % of the repeating unit (A) derived from fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1) or (2), 20 to 70 mass % of a repeating unit (B) derived from fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (3), 10 to 30 mass % of a repeating unit (C) derived from alkyl (meth)acrylate that does not include a fluorine atom, and 0.1-10 mass % of a repeating unit (D) derived from a hydrophilic monomer.

8 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer comprises the following relative to 100 mass % of the polymer: 10 to 50 mass % of the repeating unit (A) derived from fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate represented by formula (1) or (2), 40 to 80 mass % of a repeating unit (C) derived from alkyl (meth)acrylate that does not include a fluorine atom, and 0.1 to 10 mass % of a repeating unit (D) derived from a hydrophilic monomer.

9 . The optical fiber according to claim 6 , wherein the polymer to form the cladding layer comprises at least 1.5 mass % of the repeating unit (D) derived from a hydrophilic monomer relative to 100 mass % of the polymer.

10 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the a glass transition temperature (Tg) (° C.) of the polymer to form the cladding layer and a refractive index (n) of the polymer satisfy formula (4) below:
T≧ 375× n− 455   (4).

11 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , comprising only one cladding layer.

12 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , comprising two or more cladding layers.

13 . The optical fiber according to claim 1 , comprising one core.

14 . The optical fiber according claim 1 , comprising multiple cores.

15 . An optical fiber cable, comprising:
the optical fiber according to claim 1 ; and a jacket layer formed on the periphery of the optical fiber.

16 . The optical fiber cable according to claim 15 , wherein the jacket layer comprises a polyolefin resin or a chlorinated polyolefin resin at 50 mass % or greater.

17 . Communication equipment, comprising the optical fiber according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Rayon Co

Inventors

• Kihara Hideki
• Ishikado Akinori
• Tsukamoto Yoshihiro

Classifications

• C08L33/16

  Homopolymers or copolymers of esters containing halogen atoms · CPC title

• G02B6/02033

  Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material (G02B1/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08F20/22

  Esters containing halogen · CPC title

• C03C25/104

  to obtain optical fibres · CPC title

• G02B6/02042

  Multicore optical fibres · CPC title