Electrically controlled white laser emission through liquid crystal/polymer multiphases
Alina Adamow, Adam Szukalski, Lech Sznitko, Luana Persano, Dario Pisignano, Andrea Camposeo, Jarosław Myśliwiec
Abstract
Abstract White lasers are becoming increasingly relevant in various fields since they exhibit unprecedented properties in terms of beam brightness and intensity modulation. Here we introduce a white laser based on a polymer matrix encompassing liquid crystals and multiple organic chromophores in a multifunctional phase-separation system. The separation of the hydrophilic matrix and the hydrophobic liquid crystals leads to the formation of a complex optically active layer, featuring lasing emission tuneable from blue to red. White laser emission is found with an optical excitation threshold of approximately 12 mJ/cm 2 . Importantly, an external electric field can be used to control the device emission intensity. White lasers with low-voltage (≤10 V) controllable emission might pave the way for a new generation of broadband light sources for analytical, computational, and communication applications.