Candy Glass

Fiber Drawing Using the Double

Crucible Method

By Tara Schneider
Summer 2005
Advisors: Bill Heffner and Himanshu Jain
IMI-NFG at Lehigh University

Work Supported By NSF’s International Materials Institute for New Functionality in Glass
 Introduction
 This slide show includes background
information on optical fibers, Snell’s Law,
and glass science.
 At the end of the slide show is a lab that
can be performed using ingredients and
supplies you can find in your kitchen.
 Fiber Optics
Background Information

 The following topics relate to fiber optics:

– Core and Cladding
– Total Internal Reflection
– Uses
– Comparison to Wires and Current
 Core and Cladding
A fiber optics cable is a Cladding
long string of glass that
consists of a core and a Core
cladding (Picture). The
cladding surrounds the
core and has a lower
A slice of a fiber optics cable.
index of refraction, n.
The core can transmit one
or more colors of light. Note: In our experiment, we create a
Total internal reflection in fiber optics cable with a core and a
cladding to demonstrate the double
the core keeps light from crucible method. The core and
escaping. cladding do not have different indices
of refraction, n values.
 Snell’s Law
 What is total internal
reflection (TIR)? To
understand why TIR Total Internal Reflection
occurs, one must know Keeps Light in.
Snell’s Law.
 Snell’s law states:
• n1sinθ1=n2sinθ2 (see n2 Refr
acte
d ra
y

diagram). θ2
• The reflected angle equals n1 Re

the incident angle. θ1=θr y f le

ra ct
ed
c ide
nt θ1 θr ra
y
 Note: The dotted line is the In

normal. All angles are

measured from the normal. Reflection and Refraction. n1>n2
 Total Internal Reflection

Total Internal Reflection

 If θ2 is greater than 90° then no Keeps Light in.
light is refracted. The incident
angle that would cause this 90°
angle of refraction, θ2, is called the
critical angle, θc. n2
 n1sinθ1=n2sinθ2 becomes
n1sinθc=n2sin 90°. n1
Re
y fle
ct
 So the critical angle is e nt
ra
θc θr ed
ra
cid y
In

sinθc=n2/n1 Critical Angle and

Reflected Angle. n1>n2.
 Uses
 Fiber optics cables can
be used for the
following applications:
– Communication
 Telephone
 Television
 Internet Fiber Optic Fish.
– Surgery Photo courtesy of Robert Backman.

– Toys
– Uses yet to be
imagined! “Fiber Optic Cable.”
18 April, 2002. Online Image. www.accs.net
- /users/kriel/ch12 notes/. 4 August, 2005.
<http://www.accs.net/users/kriel/ch12%20note
s/fiber_optic_cable.jpg>.
 Comparison to Wires and Current
 A wire can transmit current, either in a positive
direction or a negative direction.
 A fiber optics cable can transmit light in two
directions at the same time. It can also transmit
light in different phases, amplitudes, and
sometimes different colors.
 Optical fibers can carry more information, and
they can carry it a farther distance than wires.
 Glass
 Topics covered include:
– Crystalline and Amorphous Solids
– Supercooled Liquid and Viscosity
– Glass Transition Temperature
– Fiber Drawing
– Similarities Between Candy and Glass
 Crystalline vs. Amorphous
 Most solids are crystalline, but glass is
amorphous. Glass does not have a repeated
molecular structure.
 An amorphous solid resembles a liquid frozen in
time.

“Molecular arrangement in a crystal.” No “Molecular arrangement in a glass.”

date. Online image. http://math.ucr.edu/. 3 August, 2005. No date. Online image. http://math.ucr.edu/. 3 August, 2005.
<http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html>.
<http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.
html>.
 Crystallization and Glass Forming
 If you heat a crystal up to above the melting
temperature, Tm, and then cool it, it might
become a crystal or it might become a glass.
 If given enough time, the melt will become a
crystal. The molecules rearrange into their
lowest energy states which are very ordered.
 If you cool the melt quickly, it will not have time
to rearrange to become a crystal. Instead, it will
become a supercooled liquid, on its way to glass
formation.
 Viscosity
 Viscosity is the resistance to flow. A
highly viscous material flows slowly like
honey, and a material with low viscosity
flows easily like water.
 As this supercooled liquid becomes cooler
and cooler, the viscosity becomes greater
and greater.
 Tg (tē-jē)

 When the viscosity becomes so high that

the material behaves more like a solid
than a liquid, it has become a glass. It
has hit Tg.
 Tg is the glass transition temperature. T g
is lower than the melting temperature, Tm.
 Fiber Drawing
In the experiment, we will draw fibers from a supercooled liquid.
Video will run after download – please be patient.
 Candy Glass
 Similarities between Candy and Glass
– Amorphous solids
– Tendency to crystallize under certain conditions
– Glass former: SiO2 (Silicate) for glass, C12H24O12 (Sucrose) for candy
– Glass modifier: Na2CO3 for sodium silicate glass, H2O for candy, reduces melting
temperature and decreases chemical durability
– Other stuff: Corn syrup reduces crystallization in candy. Dr. Jain’s paper says
that adding stuff to glass can increase glass forming ability. (Source: Jain, Himanshu and Isha Jain,
“Learning the Principles of Glass Science and Technology from Candy Making.” Lehigh University.
University. No Date. Lehigh University. 5 Aug. 2005
<http://www.lehigh.edu/~inmatsci/faculty/candy_making.pdf>.) Note: Corn syrup is made of simpler sugars
than sucrose. Sucrose is fructose C12H24O12 and glucose C12H24O12 bonded
together. Corn syrup is fructose, glucose, water and other stuff which the Karo
company does not disclose.
 Differences between Candy and Glass
– Candy will decompose (C12H24O12 bonds will break) at a temperature that is very
high or when not much water is present (Source: Jain, Himanshu. Personal Interview. June 2005.)
– Melting temperature Tm and glass transition temperature T g are much lower for
candy than for glass.
And Now for the Experiment
 Set-Up
 Supplies
– A stove or hot plate
– Oven mitts
– Two 600 mL beakers
– Two thermometers that can read 144.5°C
– 410g sugar
– 240g corn syrup
– 100g water
– Food coloring
– Two glass funnels-the shorter the stem the better
 Outside funnel: Stem diameter ≈ 1.4cm
 Inside funnel: Stem diameter ≈ .7cm, preferably longer than stem of outside funnel.
– A clamp to hold the funnels, paper towel to protect funnels from scratching.
– A scale to measure ingredients
– A metal tray to catch hot candy and store fibers
– A glass rod to draw fibers with
– A reflection microscope
– A razor
 Supercool Set-Up
 Set up funnels as shown:
– Place paper towel between
the clamp and the funnel.
– Make sure the funnels are
concentric at the top and
bottom of the stem.
– Set it up so that the inside
funnel sticks out a little bit
at the bottom (this will help
you see if the cladding is
surrounding the core on all
sides).
“Double Crucible” Set Up.
– Is anything going to get in June 2005.
the way of you pouring
your supercooled liquid?
– You will have a little time Concentric
during cooking and the Funnel
beginning of the pour to Stems.
make final adjustments. June 2005.
 Procedure: Fiber Drawing
 You have the cooking mitts for a reason! Don’t get burned.
 Measure 205g sugar, 120g water and 50g corn syrup into each
beaker. Stir before cooking but not during cooking.
 Cook on a high setting on the stove until both syrups reach
144.5°C.
 Add 20 drops food coloring to one beaker.
 Pour immediately. Pour colored liquid into inside beaker and
clear (or yellow) into outside beaker.
 Candy will drip out on its own at first.
 If cladding is not surrounding core on all sides, readjust funnels.
 Use spoon to test viscosity. If you can pull long fibers, then the
viscosity is right for fiber drawing.
 Pull the fibers, and save them on the metal tray.
 Notice how rate of pulling affects thickness of fibers.
 Notice how viscosity affects thickness of fibers.
Experience Fiber Drawing Success!
Video plays after download – brief wait
 Procedure: Examination of Fiber
 To view fibers under microscope, tape
three microscope slides together.
 Cut fiber with razor.
 Polish fiber by twisting one end on a damp
paper towel.
 Tape fiber vertically to the three slides.
 Position the three slides in the microscope
the way you would normally position a
single slide.
 Acknowledgements
 My Advisors: Dr. Bill Heffner and
Professor Himanshu Jain, Lehigh
University
 My Lab Partner: Raina Jain
 Funding Provided by: The National
Science Foundation through the
International Materials Institute, Lehigh
University