Issue 25, 2023

Metal–organic framework-based self-healing hydrogel fiber random lasers

Abstract

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which have well-defined nanoporous skeletons and whose natural structure can work as optical resonant cavities, are emerging as ideal platforms for constructing micro/nanolasers. However, lasing generated from the light oscillating inside a defined MOFs’ cavity usually suffers the drawback of the lasing performance being difficult to maintain once the cavity is destroyed. In this work, we report a MOF-based self-healing hydrogel fiber random laser (MOF-SHFRL) that can withstand extreme damage. The optical feedback of MOF-SHFRLs does not depend on the light reflection inside the MOF cavity but comes from the multiple scattering effects from the MOF nanoparticles (NPs). The hydrogel fiber's one-dimensional waveguide structure also permits confined directional lasing transmission. Based on such an ingenious design, a robust random lasing is achieved without worrying about the destruction of the MOF NPs. More interestingly, the MOF-SHFRL demonstrates excellent self-healing ability without any external stimulation: it can fully recover its initial morphology and lasing performance even when totally broken (e.g., cut into two parts). The lasing threshold also remains stable, and the optical transmission capability can recover by more than 90% after multiple breaks and self-healing processes. These results indicate that the MOF-SHFRL is a highly stable optical device that can be expected to play a significant role in environmental monitoring, intelligent sensing, and other aspects under extreme conditions.

Graphical abstract: Metal–organic framework-based self-healing hydrogel fiber random lasers

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Feb 2023
Accepted
16 May 2023
First published
26 May 2023

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 10685-10692

Metal–organic framework-based self-healing hydrogel fiber random lasers

D. Zhu, Z. Wang, J. Xie, G. Qu, Q. Yu, Y. Kuai, B. Yu, J. Zheng, Z. Hu and S. Li, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 10685 DOI: 10.1039/D3NR00675A

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