title: Multifunctional Polymer Nanofibers: UV Emission, Optical Gain, Anisotropic Wetting, and High Hydrophobicity for Next Flexible Excitation Sources.
abstract: The use of UV light sources is highly relevant in many fields of science, being directly related to all those detection and diagnosis procedures that are based on fluorescence spectroscopy. Depending on the specific application, UV light-emitting materials are desired to feature a number of opto-mechanical properties, including brightness, optical gain for being used in laser devices, flexibility to conform with different lab-on-chip architectures, and tailorable wettability to control and minimize their interaction with ambient humidity and fluids. In this work, we introduce multifunctional, UV-emitting electrospun fibers with both optical gain and greatly enhanced anisotropic hydrophobicity compared to films. Fibers are described by the onset of a composite wetting state, and their arrangement in uniaxial arrays further favors liquid directional control. The low gain threshold, optical losses, plastic nature, flexibility, and stability of these UV-emitting fibers make them interesting for building light-emitting devices and microlasers. Furthermore, the anisotropic hydrophobicity found is strongly synergic with optical properties, reducing interfacial interactions with liquids and enabling smart functional surfaces for droplet microfluidic and wearable applications.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.|Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Via Barsanti, I-73010 Arnesano, LE, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morello
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.|Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica "Ennio De Giorgi", Università del Salento , via Arnesano I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manco
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moffa
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.
authors.forename: Luana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Persano
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.|Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Via Barsanti, I-73010 Arnesano, LE, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Camposeo
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR, Euromediterranean Center for Nanomaterial Modelling and Technology (ECMT) , via Arnesano, Lecce I-73100, Italy.|Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia , Via Barsanti, I-73010 Arnesano, LE, Italy.|Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica "Ennio De Giorgi", Università del Salento , via Arnesano I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pisignano
mesh_terms: D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D049408:Luminescent Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D049408:Luminescent Agents; D011108:Polymers
keywords: UV light sources; dye-doped fibers; electrospinning; optical gain; plastic optical amplifier; polymer nanofibers