A Temperature-Tunable Thiophene Polymer Laser

This paper reports a temperature-tunable conjugated polymer poly[3-(2-ethyl-isocyanato-octadecanyl)-thiophene] (TCP) laser working in superradiant (SR)—or amplified spontaneous emission (ASE)—mode. The absorption spectra indicated the aggregate (mostly dimer) formation upon increasing concentration and/or decreasing temperature. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was observed at suitable concentration, temperature, and pump energy values. The efficiency of the ASE from the TCP polymer was improved by energy transfer from an oligomer 9,9,9′,9′,9″,9″-hexakis(octyl)-2,7′,2′,7″-trifluorene (HOTF). Moreover, the ASE wavelength can be tuned between 550 and 610 nm by changing the temperature of the solution from 60 to 10 °C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a high-power, temperature-tunable, and conjugated polymer laser.