Improved Laser Performance of Carbon-Bridged Oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)s Through σ-π Conjugation with Silyl Groups

Abstract

All-solution processed organic distributed feedback (DFB) lasers are attractive devices for a variety of applications. Among many classes of active laser materials, carbon-bridged oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)s (COPVm), particularly those with repeating unit of m ≥ 3, have demonstrated well-balanced and excellent performance for that purpose. However, the blue-emitting shorter COPVm (with m = 1,2) face significant challenges in terms of photostability and excitation energy for lasing (threshold). Here, the effectiveness of σ-π conjugation to improve these properties of COPV2 is demonstrated by functionalizing its terminal positions with silyl groups. This study includes the synthesis and optical characterization of two COPV2 derivates, COPV2–Sin (n = 1 and 2) dispersed in polystyrene films. Both compounds show amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at ≈480 nm over a wide range of concentrations (1–30 wt.%), with COPV2–Si2 exhibiting a lower ASE threshold and longer operational durability than parent COPV2. The potential of these materials has been further demonstrated through the construction of DFB lasers with top-layer polymeric resonators.The Japanese team was supported by JSPS KAKENHI grants JP19H05716 and JP23KK0099 (for HT). The research at the University of Alicante was funded by the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (MCIN) of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund and Next generation funds (grant Nos. PID2020-119124RB-I00 and PID2023-146660OB-I00). Besides, this study was part of the Advanced Materials program supported by the Spanish MCIN with funding from the European Union NextGenerationEU and by Generalitat Valenciana (grant no. MFA/2022/045)