Ultra-sensitive high aspect-ratio flexible optical fibers for multi-parameter high-resolution sensing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Ultra-sensitive high aspect-ratio flexible optical fibers for multi-parameter high-resolution sensing Pawel Maniewski, Robin Hartley, Timothy Lee, Matthew Whitaker, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6352437/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A new class of optical fibers characterized by a high aspect ratio quadrilateral cross-section is introduced, termed high-aspect-ratio-flat-fiber (HARFF). HARFFs demonstrate superior performance in applications demanding an asymmetric, deterministic response, providing enhanced sensitivity, precision, and resilience. Using advanced laser-based processing combined with stack-and-draw fabrication, we engineered HARFFs with tailored mechanical properties, yielding ultra-sensitive pressure sensors with over three orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over conventional optical fiber designs. We demonstrated further sensitivity enhancement in HARFFs through a multi-material microstructure by achieving increased temperature sensitivity in Sn-alloy-filled HARFFs. Our findings highlight the transformative potential of HARFFs, opening new avenues for innovations in non-circular high aspect-ratio fiber optics. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics Physical sciences/Engineering Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 28 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6352437","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":449931146,"identity":"2178f5ff-c905-43ac-955d-5486cf44dba6","order_by":0,"name":"Pawel Maniewski","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBwwMchIMPKRoSWBgMJZgI1VL4gyitZiznzF8kJhjlz5zfu8Bxh8VRGix7MkxNkjclpw7m40vgZnnDBFaDA7kbpNI3MacO4+Nx4CZsY0YLeffbv+RuK0+XQ6ohfHnP2K03MjdxpC47XCCNFALA28DEVosZ7z/DHTYccOZbTkGh3mOEaHFnD8t8cPHbdXyEofPGD78UUOMw5A5B4jQgKZlFIyCUTAKRgFWAACP/TRD80WKxgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0137-260X","institution":"KTH Royal Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pawel","middleName":"","lastName":"Maniewski","suffix":""},{"id":449931147,"identity":"d09cab57-9121-42df-80f8-f42de67dd833","order_by":1,"name":"Robin Hartley","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Robin","middleName":"","lastName":"Hartley","suffix":""},{"id":449931148,"identity":"f49bc1dd-5918-40ca-a158-5578664029bb","order_by":2,"name":"Timothy Lee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Timothy","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":449931149,"identity":"f2e73b6b-2165-4b0c-8d48-2e01b4dd70e0","order_by":3,"name":"Matthew Whitaker","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matthew","middleName":"","lastName":"Whitaker","suffix":""},{"id":449931150,"identity":"00e3f145-8fa6-4ba9-8de0-ca78b063b301","order_by":4,"name":"Bruno Moog","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bruno","middleName":"","lastName":"Moog","suffix":""},{"id":449931151,"identity":"127f13dc-a048-488c-8225-7a43859bca2b","order_by":5,"name":"Martynas Beresna","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2427-3129","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Martynas","middleName":"","lastName":"Beresna","suffix":""},{"id":449931152,"identity":"5cf2854c-4b45-4ef6-986f-9c67025e0adb","order_by":6,"name":"Janice Dulieu-Barton","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Janice","middleName":"","lastName":"Dulieu-Barton","suffix":""},{"id":449931153,"identity":"4a73906e-c394-4b0c-bb47-7e40b5a638e7","order_by":7,"name":"Christopher Holmes","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christopher","middleName":"","lastName":"Holmes","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-01 11:05:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6352437/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6352437/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72416-6","type":"published","date":"2026-04-29T00:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":109003493,"identity":"18c5016d-1a7d-4336-83c0-14c0922b1b99","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-11 15:21:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1303070,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"HARFF01042025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6352437/v1_covered_611d2415-e4a5-4a3c-813f-9be7d539075e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Ultra-sensitive high aspect-ratio flexible optical fibers for multi-parameter high-resolution sensing","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":false,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"
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