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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
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Fabrication of Polymer Microspheres for Optical Resonator and Laser Applications
Published on: June 2, 2017
Angle-Selective Optical Resonance and Circular Radial Lasing from a Chiral Polymeric Microsphere
Osamu Oki1,2,3, Wenbo Lin4,5, Soh Kushida1
1Department of Materials Science, Institute of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Chiral π-conjugated polymer microspheres with textured surfaces exhibit angular-selective resonance and directional lasing. This demonstrates how surface molecular arrangement impacts optical functions in spherical resonators.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Spheres are typically isotropic, but their optical properties can be altered by non-isotropic refractive index distributions.
- Molecular configurations within microspheres can induce birefringence, yet surface molecular arrangements' optical effects remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate optical sphere resonators with topological and chiral surfaces.
- To demonstrate angular-selective resonance and lasing properties arising from surface molecular arrangements.
Main Methods:
- Self-assembly of chiral π-conjugated polymers to form microspheres with swirl molecular arrangements.
- Characterization of whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonance and laser oscillation under photoexcitation.
Main Results:
- Microspheres exhibited angular-selective WGM resonance emission localized along specific circular orbits.
- Under strong photoexcitation, microspheres demonstrated WGM laser oscillation with a distinct azimuthal direction.
- The textured spherical surface significantly impacted the optical properties.
Conclusions:
- Surface molecular arrangement in chiral microspheres dictates optical functions, enabling angular-selective phenomena.
- Chiral sphere resonators offer potential as spatio-selective light amplifiers and directional lasers without shape modification.
