| abstract |
A hydrogen-absorbing composition for optical fiber cables comprises a catalyst selected from the group including the transition metals, their salts and organic and inorganic complexes, and a hydrocarbon compound including at least 90% of a substantially homogeneous, silicon-free hydrocarbon not obtained by polymerization of monomers including conjugate dienes and having double bonds reactive to hydrogen at room temperature in a corresponding amount to an iodine number in the 70 to 1,000 mg/g range; a viscosity in the 500 to 70,000 cSt range at room temperature, and a viscosity at room temperature lower than 70,000 cSt after ageing by exposure to air, in thin layer, for at least 7 days at 100° C. Fiber optic cables according to the invention comprise at least one optical fiber received in a respective housing and, in at least an internal volume portion, an effective amount of said hydrogen-absorbing composition. |