Fluorescent Plasma Nanocomposite Thin Films Containing Nonaggregated Rhodamine 6G Laser Dye Molecules

Abstract

This letter reports a novel methodology for the synthesis of dye-containing nanocomposite thin films containing fluorescent rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) laser dye molecules. The nanocomposites are deposited in one step at room temperature in a downstream microwave plasma operating at low pressure and power. By controlling the plasma chemistry, it is possible to reduce the formation of dye dimers and higher aggregates that quench the fluorescence of the dye molecules. The films are intensely absorbent and fluorescent, insoluble in water, mechanically stable, and present good adhesion to the substrate. Besides, the method is compatible with the present silicon technology and therefore particularly interesting for the fabrication of integrated optoelectronic devices.

Luminescent 3-hydroxyflavone nanocomposites with a tuneable refractive index for photonics and UV detection by plasma assisted vacuum deposition

“…Note that the surface oxygen enrichment observed in these films is a general phenomenon in plasma polymer that has been also reported for PAVD thin films. [9][10][11][12][13] This oxygen incorporation is usually attributed to the reaction of surface radicals with air when the films are exposed to the atmosphere after their preparation. 46 To get information about the chemical structure of the 3-HF PAVD films and confirm the incorporation of entire dye molecules, the ToF-SIMS spectra of selected 3-HF films are presented in Fig.…”

Optically Active Thin Films Deposited by Plasma Polymerization of Dye Molecules

“…This feature is critical if absorption/ fluorescence activity is the envisaged property for the final application of the films. [12][13][14][15] In the present paper we discuss a new method based on the plasma polymerization of dye molecules that circumvents the above-mentioned problems. It permits a tailored synthesis of optically active thin films containing dye molecules that are active as absorbent or fluorescence emitters (i.e., colored and fluorescent films).…”

“…As a result of this process, a polymeric thin film is produced where some dye molecules keep intact their optical activity (although eventually, their optical response can be slightly modified by matrix effects). [15][16][17] By comparison with conventional thin films containing dyes prepared by sol/gel and similar procedures, this new type of dye thin films are much thinner (for example, some tenths of nanometers are enough to get similar extinction coefficients as films of several micrometer thickness prepared by wet routes), are very flat, and permit a very easy control of the matrix effects that influence the optical response of the dye molecules. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a type of polymerization process rendering optically active films has been successfully achieved.…”

Substrate Independent Dyeing of Synthetic Textiles Treated with Low-Pressure Plasmas

“…For this reasons, substrate independent dyeing is of particular interest not only for textiles, but also for the materials industries where coloration is needed. Barranco et al was adding dyestuff molecules downstream in a filmforming plasma in order to obtain dye molecule containing nanocomposite coatings (Barranco et al, 2006). There has been very little attention focused on the application of hydrophilic acid dyes on hydrophobic PET fabrics.…”