Abstract
In this paper we demonstrate photonic band-edge laser emission from emulsion-based polymer dispersed liquid crystals. The lasing medium consists of dye-doped chiral nematic droplets dispersed within a polymer matrix that spontaneously align as the film dries. Such lasers can be easily formed on single substrates with no alignment layers. The system combines the self-organizing periodic structure of chiral nematic liquid crystals with the simplicity of the emulsion procedure so as to produce a material that retains the emission characteristics of band-edge lasers yet can be readily coated. Sequential and stacked layers demonstrate the possibility of achieving simultaneous multi-wavelength laser output from glass, metallic, and flexible substrates.
Highlights
There has been considerable recent work investigating photonic band-edge lasing in dyedoped chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) [1,2,3,4,5,6]
In this paper we demonstrate photonic band-edge laser emission from emulsion-based polymer dispersed liquid crystals
The lasing medium consists of dye-doped chiral nematic droplets dispersed within a polymer matrix that spontaneously align as the film dries
Summary
There has been considerable recent work investigating photonic band-edge lasing in dyedoped chiral nematic liquid crystals (LCs) [1,2,3,4,5,6]. These band-edge lasers are of particular interest because they self-organize into regular helical structures, generating a periodic refractive index and a photonic band-gap ideally suited to efficient lasing. The pre-requisite liquid crystal alignment is achieved by a de-swelling mechanism as the film is dried These emulsions retain the emission characteristics that are observed for dye-doped LCs in aligned glass cells. Specific applications could include integrated optical devices for point-of-care diagnostics, display technology and optically active films for security and friend-or-foe identification purposes
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