Abstract

In recent years significant progress has been observed in the technology of polymer materials, currently being the most popular for applications in practically every field of daily life, science, technique, medicine, etc. One of the most exciting and intensively investigated areas is polymer photonics, including specifically plastic optical fibers (POFs) and polymer light sources, offering an attractive combination of low-cost, compact sizes and versatility. Organic LEDs (OLEDs) are definitely among the most impressive examples, however, the progress in polymer lasers should also be mentioned. The majority of the reports on polymer lasers concern structures doped with organic dyes, with limited output powers and typically pulsed regime of operation. It seems that RE³⁺ doped polymer lasers may provide an interesting alternative, however, under the condition of overcoming problems with significant quenching of luminescence, being a result of interactions between RE³⁺ ions and highly energetic phonons inherent for the polymer matrices. Doping of polymer material with optically active nanocrystals, which would isolate active centers from the influence of the matrix's phonons, may help solve this problem. Such composites enable combining the excellent lasing properties of solid-state lasers and the unique advantages of polymeric material - mechanical strength, flexibility, and low cost of manufacturing.

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