Abstract
Abstract
Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) doped with dyes have been shown to enable tunable coherent emission, thus forming the basis for versatile liquid crystal (LC)-lasers. However, their practical adoption is hindered by high pumping thresholds and limited long-term stability. This paper proposes a synergistic strategy to overcome these limitations by engineering the alignment layer and the CLC-host. A novel alignment layer based on polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) incorporating NiO nanoparticles (NPs) has been developed. Electro-optical analysis revealed that an 8 wt.% NiO NPs-PVDF alignment layer paired with a ZnO-coated slide facilitated highly efficient dipole redistribution, leading to faster switching and a significantly reduced threshold voltage. The integration of the optimized alignment layer with a 0.1 wt.% gold nanorods (Au NRs) blending CLC-host has enabled the successful fabrication of an advanced LC-laser. The helical assembly of plasmonic Au NRs has been demonstrated to enhance the localized optical field under pumping conditions, thereby achieving a 197% enhancement in 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) emission efficiency. Furthermore, the helical assemblies have been shown to result in a substantial improvement in thermal-dependent quenching of 9.35%. This synergistic approach, which combines a functionalized alignment layer with a plasmonic CLC-host, represents a significant advancement in the development of practical, low-threshold, and highly stable LC-lasers.