1 research outputs found
Electrothermally Driven Fluorescence Switching by Liquid Crystal Elastomers Based On Dimensional Photonic Crystals
In this article,
the fabrication of an active organic–inorganic one-dimensional
photonic crystal structure to offer electrothermal fluorescence switching
is described. The film is obtained by spin-coating of liquid crystal
elastomers (LCEs) and TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles alternatively.
By utilizing the property of LCEs that can change their size and shape
reversibly under external thermal stimulations, the λ<sub>max</sub> of the photonic band gap of these films is tuned by voltage through
electrothermal conversion. The shifted photonic band gap further changes
the matching degree between the photonic band gap of the film and
the emission spectrum of organic dye mounting on the film. With rhodamine
B as an example, the enhancement factor of its fluorescence emission
is controlled by varying the matching degree. Thus, the fluorescence
intensity is actively switched by voltage applied on the system, in
a fast, adjustable, and reversible manner. The control chain of using
the electrothermal stimulus to adjust fluorescence intensity via controlling
the photonic band gap is proved by a scanning electron microscope
(SEM) and UV–vis reflectance. This mechanism also corresponded
to the results from the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation.
The comprehensive usage of photonic crystals and liquid crystal elastomers
opened a new possibility for active optical devices