Study of emission characteristics in laser dye mixtures encapsulated in silica gel matrices

The fluorescence emission characteristics of two different laser grade dye combinations: Rhodamine 6G (R6G) co-doped with disodium fluorescien (FDS) and sulforhodamine B (SFB) co-doped with FDS in tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) using sol–gel technique are studied upon excitation under copper vapor laser (CVL). Energy transfer from FDS (donor) to R6G and SFB (acceptors) respectively, are observed by varying acceptor concentration in the range from ∼0.3 mM to ∼5 mM. The related parameters such as peak emission wavelength, FWHM, lifetime of excited states, quantum yield and energy transfer rate constants of molecules in combination in silica gel matrices are determined. Dye combination shows the improved fluorescence photo-stability in silica doped samples.