STARCH BASED MICROSPHERE BIOLASERS

Abstract

Recently, biolasers whose optical cavity is made of natural materials such as serum-extracted protein, egg white, cellulose, and gelatin have attracted a lot of attention. The advantage of these lasers is their biocompatibility and biodegradability which is significant for biointegration. In this study, we demonstrate that starch is a low-cost and good material for microsphere biolasers. By using a simple emulsion method with a dehydration process, dye-doped starch microsphere lasers with diameters ranging from 40 to 180 μm have been successfully obtained. Lasing properties are investigated and the results show that the lasing threshold is approximately 1.0 μJ and the quality factor can reach 2700. The starch-based microsphere lasers indicate excellent stability after a storage time of a month; thus, they are promising for practical applications in biological and chemical sensors.