Polymer optical fibers (POFs) have significant advantages over numerous sensing applications. The key element in developing sensor is by removing the cladding of the fiber. The use of organic solvent is one of the methods to create tapered POF in order to expose the core region. In this study, the etching chemicals involved is acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), and acetone-methanol mixture. The POF is immersed in 100%, 80%, and 50% of acetone and MIBK dilution. In addition, the mixture of acetone and methanol is also used for POF etching by the ratio 2:1 of the volume. Acetone has shown to be the most reactive solvent towards POF due to its fastest etching rate compared to MIBK and acetone-methanol mixture. The POF is immersed and lifted from the solution for a specific time, depending on the power loss properties for the purpose of producing unclad POF. In comparison to silica fiber optic, the advantages of POF in terms of its simple technique and easy handling enable it to produce unclad POF without damaging the core region. The surface roughness of the POF is investigated under the microscope after being immersed into different solvent. This method of chemical tapering of POF can be used as the fundamental technique for sensor development. Next, the unclad fiber is immersed into ethanol solutions in order to determine the reaction of unclad POF towards its surrounding. The findings show that this particular sensor is sensitive towards concentration changes ranging between 10 wt% to 50 wt%. � The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017.

Optical sensor based on surface plasmon resonance are widely used for various applications. In this paper, an optimization of EM waves polarization modes for the occurrence of SPR by using a modified optical waveguiding assembly has been discussed. A 633 nm of linearly polarized He-Ne laser was appointed as a light source. The polarization modes were controlled by rotating the position of He-Ne laser. It was found that the optimum SPR signal with reflectance, R = 0.21 a.u and SPR angle, ?SPR = 48� can be obtained as the position of laser was rotated at 90�, with the presence of polarizer. The location of the critical angle was observed at ?C = 46�. For the validation purpose, a simulation based on Fresnel equation was conducted where the percentage difference between the experimental and theoretical results were analyzed. The percentage difference between experimental and theoretical results for both ?SPR and ?C were 9.09% and 15.00% respectively. In conclusion, an excellent agreement between the theoretical and experimental findings proved the stability of this SPR setup, where the EM waves polarization can easily be controlled by manipulating the position of laser. � The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017.