Low-threshold wavelength-switchable organic nanowire lasers based on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer.
Coherent light signals generated at the nanoscale are crucial to the realization of photonic integrated circuits. Self-assembled nanowires from organic dyes can provide both a gain medium and an effective resonant cavity, which have been utilized for fulfilling miniaturized lasers. Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), a classical molecular photoisomerization process, can be used to build a typical four-level system, which is more favorable for population inversion. Low-power driven lasing in proton-transfer molecular nanowires with an optimized ESIPT energy-level process has been achieved. With high gain and low loss from the ESIPT, the wires can be applied as effective FP-type resonators, which generated single-mode lasing with a very low threshold. The lasing wavelength can be reversibly switched based on a conformation conversion of the excited keto form in the ESIPT process.
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China).
Wei
W
Zhang
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China).
Yongli
Y
Yan
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China).
Jianmin
J
Gu
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China).
Jiannian
J
Yao
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China). yszhao@iccas.ac.cn.
Yong Sheng
YS
Zhao
D052160:Benzothiazoles / Q000737:chemistry; D007834:Lasers; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D011522:Protons; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013816:Thermodynamics
D052160:Benzothiazoles; D011522:Protons; C005465:benzothiazole
excited-state intramolecular proton transfer; laser switch; nanophotonics; nanowire laser; organic nanowire