Project final report in Turkish can be accessed from this link.
In this TÜBİTAK Carrier project, novel photonics applications have been developed using water/glycerol microdroplets standing on a superhydrophobic surface, and a home-made confocal microscope has been constructed and first confocal microscopy and fluorescence correlation
spectroscopy expeirments have been performed. Novel applications developed using microdroplets can be categorized under two main titles: Development of novel spectral tuning mechanisms and development of novel organic light emitting device concepts. Novel spectral tuning methods have been obtained using evapotation/condensation of microdroplets in a humidity chamber, local heating of microdroplets with a focused laser, and electrowetting. Diode pumped solid state laser required for local heating of microdroplets has also been developed during the course of the project. On the side of developing novel organic light emitting device concepts, dye lasing, Raman lasing, and enhanced energy transfer have been demonstrated using water/glycerol microdroplets standing on a superhydrophobic surface. Home-made confocal microscope has been used to obtain first confocal
images of single molecules embedded in polymer thin films. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments have also been performed using the home-made confocal microscope on dye molecules in water.
The results obtained from this project have been the subject of an M.S. thesis in Physics at Koç University. The results have been published as 8 journal papers in prestigious international journals, and they have been presented in 14 international/national conferences. One other publication is also currently under review in an international journal. Two publications made during the course of this project have been highlighted by the journal, Nature Photonics.
Keywords: Optical microcavity, microdroplet, superhydrophobic surface, confocal microscope, dye molecule, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
@kirazlab