Laser synthesis of ruby for photo-conversion of solar spectrum

TL;DR

This paper presents a laser-based method for synthesizing ruby grains that exhibit strong photo-luminescence and efficient photo-conversion, with potential applications in solar spectrum utilization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel laser synthesis process for ruby grains and demonstrates their effective photo-conversion capabilities in a polymer matrix.

Findings

Ruby grains show strong luminescence near 700 nm.

Effective conversion of green-blue light to red by synthesized ruby.

Ruby grains can be fragmented into smaller particles using laser fragmentation.

Abstract

Ruby grains are synthesized by laser heating of the dry mixture of Al$_2$O$_3$ and Cr$_2$O$_3$. Quasi-continuous radiation of a Nd:YAG laser was used for this purpose with average power of 15 W. Synthesized ruby grains demonstrate strong photo-luminescence in the vicinity of 700 nm. Synthesized ruby grains were integrated into a matrix made of flouro-polymer. Luminescene map acquired with the help of a photo-fluorimeter confirms efficient photo-conversion of green-blue radiation of the synthesize ruby into red region. Ruby grans can further be fragmented to smaller particles using the technique of laser fragmentation in liquids.