Random lasing and amplified spontaneous emission from silk inverse opals: Optical gain enhancement via protein scatterers.

ABSTRACT: Gain amplification and coherent lasing lines through random lasing (RL) can be produced by a random distribution of scatterers in a gain medium. If these amplified light sources can be seamlessly integrated into biological systems, they can have useful bio-optical applications, such as highly accurate sensing and high-resolution imaging. In this paper, a fully biocompatible light source showing RL and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a reduced threshold is reported. Random cavities were induced in a biocompatible silk protein film by incorporating an inverse opal with an inherent disorder and a biocompatible dye for optical gain into the film. By choosing the appropriate air-sphere diameters, clear RL spikes in the emission spectra that were clearly distinguished from those of the

SUBMITTER: Umar M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6838073 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature