Large-scale and electroswitchable polarized emission from semiconductor nanorods aligned in polymeric nanofibers

Abstract

We demonstrate the fabrication of a large-scale device allowing for electrical switching of polarized light with a polarization ratio of 0.45 over a 1.5 cm 2 area. To achieve this, silica-coated semiconductor nanorods were embedded in polymeric nanofibers by electrospinning. The uniaxial extensional flow experienced by the particles induces alignment of the nanorods within the nanofibers. A subsequent parallel alignment of the nanofibers themselves results in a large and flexible film of massively aligned nanorods that can conveniently be processed further. We demonstrate this by integrating the aligned nanofibers in a liquid crystal cell with a polarizer where applying a voltage allows switching the emitted light on and off.