RELATIONS BETWEEN PHOTOPHYSICAL AND LASING PROPERTIES OF RHODAMINES IN SOLID POLYMERIC MATRICES

The photophysical properties of Rhodamine 6G derivatives with differen t substituents in the ester group, in solid solutions of copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) or c ovalently bound to the same polymeric chains, have been determined and compared with the lasing properties of the materials under irradiatio n with 337 nm (N-2 laser) pulses. In these solid media the rhodamine c hromophore shows a photophysical behaviour similar to that in a liquid solution, and its photostability clearly increases when the chromopho re is bound to the polymeric chain. These new solid materials show las er efficiencies that depend on the HEMA/MMA ratio, in some cases with values close to 20%.