Plasmon-enhanced random lasing in bio-compatible networks of cellulose nanofibers

Abstract

We report on plasmon-enhanced random lasing in bio-compatible light emitting Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (HPC) nanofiber networks doped with gold nanoparticles. HPC nanofibers with a diameter of 260 ± 30 nm were synthesized by a one step, cost-effective and facile electrospinning technique from a solution-containing Rhodamine 6G and Au nanoparticles. Nanoparticles of controlled diameters from 10 nm to 80 nm were dispersed inside the nanofibers and optically characterized using photoluminescence, dark-field spectroscopy, and coherent backscattering measurements. Plasmon-enhanced random lasing was demonstrated with a lower threshold than that in dye-doped identical HPC networks without Au nanoparticles. These findings provide an effective approach for plasmon-enhanced random lasers based on a bio-compatible host matrix that is particularly attractive for biophotonic applications such as fluorescence sensing, optical tagging, and detection.