Study of optical properties of electrospun light-emitting polymer fibers

We realize light-emitting polymer fibers based on both optically inert polymers doped by molecules exhibiting optical gain and optically active conjugated polymers. Waveguiding properties of the produced polymer structures are demonstrated, with a loss coefficient of around 103 cm−1. We also find that single polymer fibers doped with gain molecules form Fabry–Pérot cavities, showing photoluminescence spectra with modes equally spaced by 1.7 nm. Coherent emission is demonstrated from fibers made upon increasing the excitation fluence above threshold values of the order of a few tens of μJ/cm2.