Guiding losses estimation in hydrogel-based waveguides

A method based on the photographic recording of the power distribution laterally diffused by cationic electroactive network (CN)-based hydrogel waveguides is first checked against the well-established cut-back method and then used to determine the different contributions to the optical power attenuation along the hydrogel-based waveguide. Absorption and scattering loss coefficients are determined for 450 nm, 532 nm and 633 nm excitation.