Structure dependence of lasing action in organic polymer films on DFB gratings for dinitrotoluene vapor detection.

Structure effects of distributed feedback (DFB) gratings on lasing action have been investigated for detecting explosive vapors. For the first time, we have established the optimized profiles of the DFB grating, and given the theoretical path to design its structure for amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of organic polymer films based on Bragg conditions. A poly(p-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE) film can realize detection of dinitrotoluene (DNT) vapors in 2 min with a reduced excitation threshold of 26 mJ cm⁻² by using a simple and common 405 nm laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]