Double pulse laser deposition of polymer nanocomposite: NaYF4:Tm3+,Yb3+films for optical sensors and light emitting applications

The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing operationally Nanocomposite polymeric thin films for sensor and light emitting applications using the innovative modified double pulsed laser deposition (DPLD) technique. The existing PLD vacuum chamber was modified to accommodate multiple wavelength laser beams for in-situ-double-ablation/Deposition (DPLD) of multiple targets of host and dopants. Special design was made for cooling of the target to the threshold of the polymer ablation without interrupting the continuity of the ablation process. Multilayered of nanocomposites of acrylic polymers and nanoparticles of NaYF₄:Tm³⁺ ,Yb³⁺ are fabricated using ultra-violet (UV) radiation (355 nm) ablating polymer targets and near-infra-red (near-IR) radiation (1064 nm) ablating inorganic targets. The films were characterized using the reflected high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), XRD , XRF, AFM, and FTIR absorption spectroscopy and tested as possible chemical sensors and light emitters.