{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:05:32Z","timestamp":1760234732220,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,3]],"date-time":"2021-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1622678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002347","name":"Bundesministerium f\u00fcr Bildung und Forschung","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["16ES0811"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["16ES0811"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002347","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002745","name":"Bayerische Forschungsstiftung","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["AZ-1427-20"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AZ-1427-20"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002745","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this article, we summarize our investigations on optimized 248 nm deep ultraviolet (UV) fabrication of highly stable epoxy polymer Bragg grating sensors and their application for biomedical purposes. Employing m-line spectroscopy, deep UV photosensitivity of cross-linked EpoCore thin films in terms of responding refractive index change is determined to a maximum of \u0394n = + (1.8 \u00b1 0.2) \u00d7 10\u22123. All-polymer waveguide Bragg gratings are fabricated by direct laser irradiation of lithographic EpoCore strip waveguides on compatible Topas 6017 substrates through standard +1\/-1-order phase masks. According near-field simulations of realistic non-ideal phase masks provide insight into UV dose-dependent characteristics of the Bragg grating formation. By means of online monitoring, arising Bragg reflections during grating inscription via beforehand fiber-coupled waveguide samples, an optimum laser parameter set for well-detectable sensor reflection peaks in respect of peak strength, full width at half maximum and grating attenuation are derived. Promising blood analysis applications of optimized epoxy-based Bragg grating sensors are demonstrated in terms of bulk refractive index sensing of whole blood and selective surface refractive index sensing of human serum albumin.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s21113868","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,3]],"date-time":"2021-06-03T21:03:32Z","timestamp":1622754212000},"page":"3868","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Deep UV Formation of Long-Term Stable Optical Bragg Gratings in Epoxy Waveguides and Their Biomedical Sensing Potentials"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0390-7284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steffen","family":"Hessler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Laser and Photonics Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, W\u00fcrzburger Stra\u00dfe 45, 63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2369-1639","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marieke","family":"R\u00fcth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"eXcorLab GmbH, Industrie Center Obernburg, 63784 Obernburg am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Horst-Dieter","family":"Lemke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"eXcorLab GmbH, Industrie Center Obernburg, 63784 Obernburg am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6615-370X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bernhard","family":"Schmauss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Microwaves and Photonics, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstra\u00dfe 9, 91054 Erlangen, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ralf","family":"Hellmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Laser and Photonics Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, W\u00fcrzburger Stra\u00dfe 45, 63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,3]]},"reference":[{"unstructured":"Cusano, A., Cutolo, A., and Albert, J. 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