Primary optical fiber coating composition containing non-radiation curable component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488774-B2
Application number	US-201514642022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 1, 2014
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An optical fiber is disclosed that includes a primary coating formed from a radiation curable composition that includes a curable cross-linker essentially free of urethane and urea functional groups, a curable diluent, and a non-radiation curable component comprising (thio)urethane and/or (thio)urea groups. The primary coating features low Young's modulus, low T g , and high tensile strength. The optical fiber exhibits low microbend losses in wire mesh drum and basketweave tests.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coated optical fiber comprising:
a glass fiber; and
a primary coating surrounding said glass fiber, said primary coating including the cured product of a radiation-curable composition comprising:
a first radiation-curable component; and
a non-radiation-curable component, said non-radiation-curable
component including (thio)urethane and/or (thio)urea groups;

wherein said primary coating has an in situ Young's modulus of less than 1 MPa.

2. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said first radiation-curable component is essentially free of urethane and urea groups.

3. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said first radiation-curable component is a radiation-curable cross-linker.

4. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said first radiation-curable component is a radiation-curable diluent.

5. The coated optical fiber of claim 4 , wherein said radiation-curable composition further includes a second radiation-curable component, said second radiation-curable component including a radiation-curable cross-linker.

6. The coated optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein said radiation-curable composition includes 25-50 wt % of said radiation-curable diluent, 4-40 wt % of said radiation-curable cross-linker, and 15-35 wt % of said non-radiation-curable component.

7. The coated optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein said cured product includes a network, said network including chemical bonds between said radiation-curable cross-linker and said radiation-curable diluent, said network excluding chemical bonds between said non-radiation-curable component and said radiation-curable cross-linker, said network further excluding chemical bonds between said non-radiation-curable component and said radiation-curable diluent.

8. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the non-radiation curable component is branched.

9. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the non-radiation curable component comprises a core moiety covalently linked to two or more block moieties, each of said block moieties comprising some of said (thio)urethane and/or (thio)urea groups.

10. The coated optical fiber of claim 9 , wherein said block moieties terminate in a non-radiation-curable capping agent.

11. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said non-radiation curable component comprises a structure according to formulae (Ia) or (Ib)

wherein,
R 1 is a multifunctional core moiety, where the number of functional groups of the core moiety is defined by p, where p is 2 or greater each X is independently S or O;

Z 1 is —O—, —S—, —N(H)—, or —N(alkyl)-;
each of Q 1 and Q 2 is independently —O—, —S—, —N(H)—, or —N(alkyl)-;
each of R 2 and R 4 is a core moiety of a di(thio)isocyanate reactant;

R 3 is a core moiety of a polyol or amine-capped polyol reactant;
R 5 is a hydrocarbon or oxygen-containing hydrocarbon having an average molecular weight of between about 28 to about 400;
R 6 is represented by the structure according to formula (II) or (III)

where X is defined as above, Z 2 is —O—, —S—, —N(H)—, or —N(alkyl)-, R 7 is a core moiety of a di(thio)isocyanate reactant, R 8 is a non-radiation curable capping agent, and R 9 is a core moiety of an isocyanate or thioisocyanate reactant;
l is 1 to 6;
m is greater than or equal to 0; and

n is greater than or equal to 1.

12. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said non-radiation-curable component has a molecular weight between 4000 and 50000 daltons.

13. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said cured product, when configured as a film of thickness ˜80 μm, has a tensile strength of at least 0.6 MPa.

14. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said primary coating has an in situ Young's modulus less than 0.6 MPa.

15. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said primary coating has an in situ T g less than −30° C.

16. The coated fiber of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary coating, said secondary coating surrounding said primary coating, said secondary coating, when configured as a film of thickness cured rod having a diameter of 0.022″, having a Young's modulus of at least 1400 MPa and an average tensile strength of at least 45 MPa.

17. The coated optical fiber of claim 16 , wherein said fiber has a wire mesh drum microbend loss of less than 0.020 db/km at a wavelength of 1310 nm, less than 0.015 db/km at a wavelength of 1550 nm, or less than 0.050 db/km at a wavelength of 1625 nm.

18. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiber has a basketweave microbend loss, following thermal cycling over a temperature range from −40° C. to 70° C., of less than 0.010 db/km at a wavelength of 1310 nm, less than 0.010 db/km at a wavelength of 1550 nm, or less than 0.010 db/km at a wavelength of 1625 nm.

19. The coated optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein said fiber has a basketweave microbend loss, following thermal cycling from 23° C. to −60° C., of less than 0.015 db/km at a wavelength of 1310 nm, less than 0.030 db/km at a wavelength of 1550 nm, or less than 0.045 db/km at a wavelength of 1625 nm.

20. An optical fiber ribbon or bundle comprising:
a plurality of coated optical fibers according to claim 1 ; and
a matrix encapsulating said plurality of coated optical fibers.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Bookbinder Dana Craig
• Mccarthy Kevin Robert
• Niu Weijun
• Schissel David Neal

Classifications

• G02B6/02033 Primary

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

• G02B6/02395 Primary

  Glass optical fibre with a protective coating, e.g. two layer polymer coating deposited directly on a silica cladding surface during fibre manufacture (G02B6/02052, G02B6/02057, G02B6/024, G02B6/032, G02B6/105, G02B6/14 take precedence; coating on fibre gratings G02B6/02104; multilayer core or cladding G02B6/036; reinforcing splice joints G02B6/2558; optical cables, i.e. comprising protective structures external to the protective coating such as a jacket or plural coated optical fibres G02B6/44; coating of glass to obtain optical fibres C03C25/104) · CPC title

• G02B6/02223

  Dual window fibres, i.e. characterised by dispersion properties around 1550 nm and in at least another wavelength window, e.g. 1310 nm · CPC title

• C03C25/326

  Polyureas; Polyurethanes · CPC title

• C03C25/1065 Primary

  Multiple coatings · CPC title