Aerogel for random lasing and sensors with thermal insulation†

Abstract

Polymer aerogels have promising applications due to their high porosity, large specific surface area, low density, superior thermal conductivity, and biocompatibility, especially in the laser field. However, it is challenging to develop aerogels with excellent flexibility due to their doping fragility, which inhibits their laser performance. In this work, an acrylamide-co-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (AM-co-PEGDA) polymer aerogel with excellent plasticity and low thermal conductivity (28 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹) is prepared via the freeze-drying method. In addition, the AM-co-PEGDA polymer aerogel is used to fabricate a polymer aerogel random laser (RL), which is found to have great thermal insulation and low temperature sensitivity compared with a hydrogel RL. Additionally, thermal insulation based on aerogel coating material is introduced in fiber sensors to prevent temperature effects. It is demonstrated that the aerogel significantly mitigates the effects of temperature on laser operation and fiber sensing crosstalk, effectively shielding 51% of the temperature effects. This work provides new insights into improving the environmental resilience and operational stability of laser devices and highlights the potential of AM-co-PEGDA aerogels in advanced optics.