Organic Semiconductor Laser Platform for the Detection of DNA by AgNP Plasmonic Enhancement.

Organic semiconductor lasers are a sensitive biosensing platform that respond to specific biomolecule binding events. So far, such biosensors have utilized protein-based interactions for surface functionalization but a nucleic acid-based strategy would considerably widen their utility as a general biodiagnostic platform. This manuscript reports two important advances for DNA-based sensing using an organic semiconductor (OS) distributed feedback (DFB) laser. First, the immobilization of alkyne-tagged 12/18-mer oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) probes by Cu-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or "click-chemistry" onto an 80 nm thick OS laser film modified with an azide-presenting polyelectrolyte monolayer is presented. Second, sequence-selective binding to these immobilized probes with complementary ODN-functionalized silver nanoparticles, is detected. As binding occurs, the nanoparticles increase the optical losses of the laser mode through plasmonic scattering and absorption, and this causes a rise in the threshold pump energy required for laser action that is proportional to the analyte concentration. By monitoring this threshold, detection of the complementary ODN target down to 11.5 pM is achieved. This complementary binding on the laser surface is independently confirmed through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Fluorene-containing tetraphenylethylene molecules as lasing materials.

A series of star-shaped oligofluorene molecules, each containing a TPE core, have been specifically designed and produced to show effective aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Each molecule differs either in the number of fluorene units within the arms (e.g., 1 or 4, compounds 4 and 5), or the terminal group positioned at the end of each arm (e.g., H, TMS, or TPA, compounds 4, 6, and 7). Although they are all poor emitters in solution phase they become efficient yellow-green luminogens in the condensed state. Their AIE properties were investigated in THF/H2O mixtures, with each molecule exhibiting a clear emission enhancement at specific water contents. An all-organic distributed feedback (DFB) laser was fabricated using compound 4 as the gain material and exhibited an average threshold energy fluence of 60 ± 6 µJ/cm2 and emission in the green region. Furthermore, piezofluorochromism studies on a thin film of this material displayed a linear dependence of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) peak position on applied pressure, indicating potential applications as lasing-based pressure sensors. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 734-746.

RGB and white-emitting organic lasers on flexible glass.

Two formats of multiwavelength red, green and blue (RGB) laser on mechanically-flexible glass are demonstrated. In both cases, three all-organic, vertically-emitting distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are assembled onto a common ultra-thin glass membrane substrate and fully encapsulated by a thin polymer overlayer and an additional 50 µm-thick glass membrane in order to improve the performance. The first device format has the three DFB lasers sitting next to each other on the glass substrate. The DFB lasers are simultaneously excited by a single overlapping optical pump, emitting spatially separated red, green and blue laser output with individual thresholds of, respectively, 28 µJ/cm(2), 11 µJ/cm(2) and 32 µJ/cm(2) (for 5 ns pump pulses). The second device format has the three DFB lasers, respectively the red, green and blue laser, vertically stacked onto the flexible glass. This device format emits a white laser output for an optical pump fluence above 42 µJ/cm(2).

Hybrid GaN/organic microstructured light-emitting devices via ink-jet printing.

We report what we believe to be the first use of organic nanostructures for efficient colour conversion of gallium nitride light emitting diodes (LEDs). The particular nanomaterials, based on star-shaped truxene oligofluorenes, offer an attractive alternative to inorganic colloidal quantum dots in the search for novel and functional 'nanophosphors'. The truxenes have been formed into a composite with photoresist and ink-jet printed onto microstructured gallium nitride LEDs, resulting in a demonstrator hybrid microdisplay technology with pixel size approximately 32 microm. The output power density of the hybrid device was measured to be approximately 8.4 mW/cm(2) per pixel at driving current density of 870.8A/cm(2) and the efficiency of colour conversion at drive current of 7 mA was estimated to be approximately 50%.

A one-step synthesis of cadmium selenide quantum dots from a novel single source precursor.

A new approach to the one-step synthesis of cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots is reported using the air stable complex cadmium imino-bis(diisopropylphosphine selenide); the ligand is readily prepared from elemental selenium and the precursor, quantum dots of comparable quality to those prepared by conventional methods are obtained.