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Athanasiou M, Manoli A, Papagiorgis P, Georgiou K, Berezovska Y, Othonos A, Bodnarchuk MI, Kovalenko MV, Itskos G. Flexible, Free-Standing Polymer Membranes Sensitized by CsPbX3 Nanocrystals as Gain Media for Low Threshold, Multicolor Light Amplification. ACS PHOTONICS 2022; 9:2385-2397. [PMID: 35880075 PMCID: PMC9305998 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.2c00426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are highly suitable active media for solution-processed lasers in the visible spectrum, owing to the wide tunability of their emission from blue to red via facile ion-exchange reactions. Their outstanding optical gain properties and the suppressed nonradiative recombination losses stem from their defect-tolerant nature. In this work, we demonstrate flexible waveguides combining the transparent, bioplastic, polymer cellulose acetate with green CsPbBr3 or red-emitting CsPb(Br,I)3 NCs in simple solution-processed architectures based on polymer-NC multilayers deposited on polymer micro-slabs. Experiments and simulations indicate that the employment of the thin, free-standing membranes results in confined electrical fields, enhanced by 2 orders of magnitude compared to identical multilayer stacks deposited on conventional, rigid quartz substrates. As a result, the polymer structures exhibit improved amplified emission characteristics under nanosecond excitation, with amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) thresholds down to ∼95 μJ cm-2 and ∼70 μJ cm-2 and high net modal gain up to ∼450 and ∼630 cm-1 in the green and red parts of the spectrum, respectively. The optimized gain properties are accompanied by a notable improvement of the ASE operational stability due to the low thermal resistance of the substrate-less membranes and the intimate thermal contact between the polymer and the NCs. Their application potential is further highlighted by the membrane's ability to sustain dual-color ASE in the green and red parts of the spectrum through excitation by a single UV source, activate underwater stimulated emission, and operate as efficient white light downconverters of commercial blue LEDs, producing high-quality white light emission, 115% of the NTSC color gamut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Modestos Athanasiou
- Experimental
Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Andreas Manoli
- Experimental
Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Paris Papagiorgis
- Experimental
Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Kyriacos Georgiou
- Department
of Physics, Laboratory of Ultrafast Science, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Yuliia Berezovska
- Laboratory
for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa—Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Othonos
- Department
of Physics, Laboratory of Ultrafast Science, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
| | - Maryna I. Bodnarchuk
- Laboratory
for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa—Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Maksym V. Kovalenko
- Institute
of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich CH-8093, Switzerland
- Laboratory
for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa—Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf CH-8600, Switzerland
| | - Grigorios Itskos
- Experimental
Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
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