Laser action induced in a nanostructured polyaniline LED

Direct electrical pumping of polymer lasers is considered to be a great challenge. Our recent experiments indicate the laser action in a nanostructured polyaniline diode. This has been identified as an electrically pumped random laser, in which a conducting polymer (nanostructured polyaniline) plays the role of an active medium. The device of a simple LED architecture is directly electrically powered at a low voltage of 5–15 V. Above the threshold voltage (4–8 V) and the electrical energy pumped (75–100 W), different laser modes are generated, including the emission of nearly monochromatic light. This is the first electrically pumped random laser, based on a nanostructured conductive polymer – polyaniline. These results are groundbreaking in the field of polymer lasers, which are directly electrically powered. The impact of the findings is not limited either to this particular device or to the specific material used.