Plasmon-enhanced random lasing in bio-compatible networks of cellulose nanofibers

Abstract

We report on plasmon-enhanced random lasing in bio-compatible light emitting Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC) nanofiber networks doped with gold nanoparticles. HPC nanofibers with a diameter of 260 ± 30 nm were synthesized by a one step, cost-effective and facile electrospinning technique from a solution-containing Rhodamine 6G and Au nanoparticles. Nanoparticles of controlled diameters from 10 nm to 80 nm were dispersed inside the nanofibers and optically characterized using photoluminescence, dark-field spectroscopy, and coherent backscattering measurements. Plasmon-enhanced random lasing was demonstrated with a lower threshold than that in dye-doped identical HPC networks without Au nanoparticles. These findings provide an effective approach for plasmon-enhanced random lasers based on a bio-compatible host matrix that is particularly attractive for biophotonic applications such as fluorescence sensing, optical tagging, and detection.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 04, 2016
Source ID
10.1063/1.4939263

Entities

People

  • B. M. Reinhard
  • F. G. Omenetto
  • H. Cao
  • Luca Dal Negro
  • Rui Zhang
  • S. F. Liew
  • S. Knitter

Organizations

  • Boston University
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Tufts University
  • Yale University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Chemistry (specifically Chemical Fluorescence)
  • Computer Programming and Software Development.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Directed Energy