Organic dyes stabilized in nanopores and confined in polymeric photonic crystals for lasing and sensing devices

University Of Texas At San Antonio, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Abstract

Organic dyes stabilized in nanopores and confined in polymeric photonic crystals for lasing and sensing devices Nontechnical abstract: The objective of this project is to design and fabricate a strong light source, known as a laser, using organic dyes, porous host materials and photo-trapping devices. Several methods will be used to stabilize the organic dyes into the nanometer sized holes (one nanometer is one billionth of a meter) inside the host materials. The stabilized organic dyes are able to emit light as a laser under the weak illumination of other light sources when the light from the dyes is amplified inside a photon-trapping device known as a photonic crystal. The principal investigators have demonstrated the feasibility of such a novel approach in their preliminary studies though this kind of dye lasers are very difficult to realize in the solid state. Multi-color laser sources can be integrated in an optical-chip (similar to the electronic chip in a computer) for communication and sensing devices. This research will also provide educational opportunities to a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students and motivate them to develop their future careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Technical abstract: The objective of this project is to fabricate and study the lasing and sensing devices with organic dyes stabilized in nanopores of metal-organic frameworks and confined in polymer photonic crystals. Multiple target chromophores within the matrix of metal-organic frameworks will be explored as the multi-color light sources. The intellectual merit is the development of low-threshold lasing with high quantum efficiency, and high sensitive single-laser-mode based sensing devices using organic dyes confined in nanopores. Preliminary results show that a two-photon pumped micro-laser can be achieved by encapsulating organic dyes in nanopores of metal-organic frameworks. By confining the stabilized organic dyes in the photonic crystals, a mirror-less photonic crystal cavity can be used to lower the pumping level of lasing devices and increase the sensitivity of sensing devices. The research methods in this program include optimizing dye photoluminescence strength by tuning the nanopore sizes of metal-organic frameworks for an effective encapsulation of organic dyes in nanopores, studying the interaction between spontaneous light emission from stabilized organic dyes and photonic stop-band in the photonic crystals, and investigating the threshold and quantum efficiency of the proposed dye lasing device. By confining the organic dyes in photonic crystals as solid state devices, these nanopore stabilized organic devices can be potentially integrated in future optoelectronics. The broader impacts include exposing graduate and undergraduate students to an interdisciplinary education, including nano-scale chemistry, physics and engineering, solid state optoelectronics, photonic and quantum mechanical simulations, and device fabrication and characterization. The project will also integrate underrepresented groups in the planned research and educational activities.