Tunable solid-state dye lasers operating in the blue-green spectral region are attractive for a variety of applications. An important consideration in assessing the viability of this technology is the service life of the gain medium, which is presently limited by dye photodegradation. In this study, solid polymeric samples consisting of the coumarin dye C540A in modified PMMA were subjected to controlled photodegradation tests. The excitation laser was a flashlamp-pumped dye laser operating at 440 nm with a pulse duration of 1 μs. A complementary set of data was obtained for dye in solution phase for comparison purposes. Photophysical properties of C540A in water solution of polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) have been investigated with a view to assess the suitability of the sequestering polymer (PMAA) as an effective additive to facilitate use of a water medium for highly efficient blue-green dye lasers. Lasing action of C540A in aqueous PMAA has been realized using flashlamp-pumped laser system, yielding excellent laser efficiencies superior to that achieved in ethanolic solutions with the same dye. Laser characterization of dye in media included measurement of laser threshold, slope efficiency, pulse duration and output wavelength.
For two meso-substituted benzo-fused pyrromethenes (BPMM and F-BPMM), photophysical and lasing properties in liquids and in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are reported. Both dyes exhibit high quantum efficiency (0.6-0.9) along with high extinction coefficients, values which are superior to other NIR dyes such as oxazine 1 and rhodamine 800. Lasing efficiencies in the range of 20-30 % have been recorded for the new dyes. Additionally, the dyes can be pumped by a diode or dye laser emitting at 650 nm. Under continuous UV-Vis irradiation, BPMM and F-BPMM demonstrated improved photostability as compared with a previously reported analog, PM-700 (Scheme 1). The survivability of dyes under conditions of radical polymerization has also been investigated.
The photophysical and lasing properties of a benzo-fused pyrromethene dye that is capable of being pumped by a diode or dye laser at relatively long wavelengths have been investigated for liquids and for a solid matrix, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Fluorescence data, including quantum efficiency and lifetime, have been obtained. The dye emission, that is centered around 690 nm, shows good quantum efficiency as compared to other NIR dyes such as oxazine 1 or rhodamine 800. Photostability in organic solvents as well as the survivability of the dye under conditions of radical polymerization have also been investigated.
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