A highly efficient directional molecular white-light emitter driven by a continuous-wave laser diode

TLDR

There is a constant societal drive to develop efficient, environmentally benign light sources that convert infrared into visible light. The material consists of inorganic nanocrystals coated with organic ligands, and infrared excitation triggers nonlinear optical processes that generate broadband white light. The authors created an amorphous material that emits a warm‑white broadband spectrum when excited by an infrared laser through highly nonlinear processes. Rosemann et al., Science, p.

Abstract

Converting infrared into visible There is a constant societal drive to develop new light sources that are both efficient and environmentally benign. Rosemann et al. developed an amorphous material that emits a broadband (warm white) spectrum of light upon excitation with an infrared laser via highly nonlinear processes. Inorganic nanocrystals form the core of their material and are coated with organic ligands on the surface. When excited with infrared light, nonlinear optical processes cause the material to emit broadband white light. Science , this issue p. 1301