Covalent bonding effects on spectral, photophysical and generation properties of indocarbocyanine dyes in polyurethanes

• Published in: Optics and laser technology Vol. 144; p. 107412
• Main Authors: Bezrodna, T.V., Ishchenko, A.A., Bezrodnyi, V.I., Negriyko, A.M., Kosyanchuk, L.F., Antonenko, O.I., Brovko, O.O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Bonding; Chemical bonds; Covalent bonding; Cyanine dyes; Dye laser; Dyes; Efficiency; Ethanol; Fluorescence; Mathematical analysis; Photopolymerization; Photostability; Polycondensation reactions; Polyurethane; Polyurethane resins; Cyanine dyes; Dye laser; Fluorescence; Covalent bonding; Photostability; Polyurethane
• ISSN: 0030-3992; 1879-2545
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2021.107412

•Covalent bonding between a cyanine dye and a polyurethane has been realized directly.•The dye-polymer covalent bonding improves considerably photophysics of the dye molecules.•Polyurethane material, synthesized by polycondensation, provides improved laser characteristics.
Spectral, photophysical and generation properties of symmetrical cationic cyanine dyes have been investigated in the polyurethane matrices, similar by the structure, but different by the polymerization method. The cyanine dye doped polyurethane, synthesized by a polycondensation reaction, provides laser active elements with significantly improved photostability, efficiency and operation lifetime, compared to those for the polyurethane acrylate matrix, hardened by a radical photopolymerization method. Changing the liquid (ethanol) medium to polymers causes an increase of fluorescence quantum yield and efficiency. For the first time, covalent bonding between a cyanine dye and a polyurethane has been studied, and high fluorescence quantum yield and generation efficiency have been observed.