Aussie Scientists Have Created Printable Frickin’ Lasers

 title=I may be mistaken, but Aussie scientist Jacek Jasieniak wants to take over the world. Sure, he might not look evil, but why else would he create a way to create printable lasers?

Probably for the benefit of humankind or something, I guess. Working with the CSIRO, the University of Melbourne and the University of Padua in Italy, Jasieniak has developed liquid inks based on quantum dots, which can be used to create lasers.

According to Jacek:

“Conventional lasers use large optical cavities which make them impossible to use for printable lasers. To develop true nanometre-sized lasers we have employed a special type of optical cavity that consists of a repeating nano-structured pattern on the surface of the material onto which the quantum dots are printed. A major benefit of this nano-structured optical cavity is that it can be produced during the printing process by controlled indentation or scratching of the material’s surface. The tiny lasers generated using such an approach are highly efficient and can be adapted for numerous applications.”

Such applications could include printable laser screens, printable solar panels or printable weapons of mass destruction. Okay, I made that last one up. But imagine a world where you could print off a new laser screen wherever you go… that’s the kind of future I want to live in. Hopefully we’ll see a commercial release in the near future.

[Fresh Science]


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