Single-Mode Lasing in Plasmonic-Enhanced Woven Microfibers for Multifunctional Sensing.

Area of Science:

• Plasmonics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Sensing Technology

Background:

• Single-mode plasmonic lasing is crucial for advanced photonic and sensing applications.
• Developing highly sensitive and stable sensors for environmental monitoring remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To realize single-mode plasmonic lasing in a woven microfiber.
• To demonstrate ultrahigh sensitivity and stability for environmental sensing applications.
• To fabricate a wearable sensor using the developed microfiber.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of plasmonic-enhanced microfiber by spraying silver nanospheres onto rhodamine 6G-doped polymer microfibers.
• Characterization of single-mode laser emission, including linewidth and threshold.
• Testing the microfiber laser as a sensor for humidity and acetic acid gas.

Main Results:

• Achieved single-mode lasing with an ultranarrow linewidth (0.1 nm) and low threshold (18.8 kW/mm²).
• Demonstrated high sensitivity in humidity sensing (826.6 pm/% RH) with a low detection limit (0.051% RH).
• Successfully developed a wearable sensor with excellent bending stability, capable of detecting acetic acid gas with a 5-min response time.

Conclusions:

• The plasmonic-enhanced microfiber enables efficient single-mode lasing and ultrasensitive environmental sensing.
• The developed wearable sensor offers a novel approach for multifunctional and robust sensing applications.
• This technology holds significant potential for advancing wearable environmental monitoring systems.