GaAs nanowires with elongated cross sections are formed using a catalyst-free growth technique. This is achieved by patterning elongated nanoscale openings within a silicon dioxide growth mask on a (111)B GaAs substrate. It is observed that MOVPE-grown vertical nanowires with cross section elongated in the [21̅1̅] and [1̅12] directions remain faithful to the geometry of the openings. An InGaAs quantum dot with weak radial confinement is realized within each nanowire by briefly introducing indium into the reactor during nanowire growth. Photoluminescence emission from an embedded nanowire quantum dot is strongly linearly polarized (typically >90%) with the polarization direction coincident with the axis of elongation. Linearly polarized PL emission is a result of embedding the quantum dot in an anisotropic nanowire structure that supports a single strongly confined, linearly polarized optical mode. This research provides a route to the bottom-up growth of linearly polarized single photon sources of interest for quantum information applications.
This paper demonstrates lasing of the whispering gallery modes in polymer coated optofluidic capillaries and their application to refractive index sensing. The laser gain medium used here is fluorescent Nile Red dye, which is embedded inside the high refractive index polymer coating. We investigate the refractometric sensing properties of these devices for different coating thicknesses, revealing that the high Q factors required to achieve low lasing thresholds can only be realized for relatively thick polymer coatings (in this case ≥ 800 nm). Lasing capillaries therefore tend to have a lower refractive index sensitivity, compared to non-lasing capillaries which can have a thinner polymer coating, due to the stronger WGM confinement within the polymer layer. However we find that the large improvement in signal-to-noise ratio realized for lasing capillaries more than compensates for the decreased sensitivity and results in an order-of-magnitude improvement in the detection limit for refractive index sensing.
Hybrid fluorescent metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) use long-range intermolecular structural motifs in which the properties of the scaffold molecular system can be designed for specific applications. In this work, we constructed a MOF−chromophore system with a strongly polarized fluorescence and a large emission wavelength shift. To achieve this, we first devised a fluorophore with a linear conjugated backbone, bulky and noninteracting side chains, and easily accessible nitrogen atoms on its pyridine end groups. The linear nature of the conjugated backbone can lead to a strongly polarized luminescence, the side groups assist structural stability and minimize intermolecular interactions, and the sterically accessible pyridines provide a large fluorescence colorchanging ability. These features were demonstrated by synthesizing a planar Zn-based MOF in which the linear backbone of the chromophore molecules was highly aligned. The MOFs demonstrated a strong polarization effect and a color-shifting ability from green-yellow to orange. The results show that hybrid metal−organic materials can be designed to generate a strong command of the material luminescence, in terms of both emission color and polarization.
Fluorescent microspheres are used for biomarkers, assay substrates, chemical diagnostics, flow cytometry, and biological imaging. These applications demand the highest fluorescence intensity achievable; however, concentration quenching limits the amount of dye that can be practically incorporated in conventional fluorescent microspheres. Conjugated polymers (CPs) can be less susceptible to concentration quenching, suggesting that they can be excellent candidates for a new class of light‐emitting microspheres. Due to their long‐chain‐conjugated backbone, however, CPs can be resistant to forming smoothly curved or spherical structures. Here, strongly fluorescent CP microspheres as large as 100 µm in diameter are synthesized. Whispering gallery modes (WGMs) appear in the fluorescence spectra, and the microspheres show clear evidence of lasing above a threshold pump intensity. These conjugated polymer beads are up to 50 times larger than CP microspheres obtained by other methods, and they exceed the emission intensity of conventional fluorescent microspheres by more than an order of magnitude.
Conjugated polymers (CPs) can potentially provide an alternative to conventional fluorescent microsphere technologies; however, examples of CP microspheres encompassing an extensive range of sizes are few, and wide‐ranging spectral control, as needed for many applications, has never been demonstrated. Blended CP microspheres consisting of individual polymers are synthesized here. They are blended to have widely separated Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) color coordinates and a compatible synthesis while at the same time forming well‐defined domain structures. By developing appropriate mixtures of selected blue, green, and red fluorescent CPs, blended CP microspheres are demonstrated to cover an extensive range of color coordinates including white. It is shown that multi‐CP microspheres with core–shell or related structures can provide optimum characteristics, while energy and/or charge transfer in finer mixtures result in microspheres without the desired emission properties. Pre‐ or postprocessing further directs consistent changes in the CP microspheres that ultimately regulate the overall spectral response. This approach can lead to a new class of bright fluorescent microparticles with applications in a wide range of disciplines that demand maximum brightness and highly specific emission spectra.
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