Deep-Tissue Light Generation via Whispering Gallery Mode Lasing From a Commercial Nylon Fiber for Biomedical Applications

Ni D, Klämpfl F, Lahoz F, Schmidt M, Hohmann M (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

DOI: 10.1002/admt.71202

Abstract

The penetration depth of light within biological tissue is typically restricted by the optical diffusion limit to one transport mean free path (Formula presented.) primarily due to the multiple scattering. While whispering gallery mode (WGM) microlasers are promising internal light sources in tissue, their application has been limited to depths of a few hundred (Formula presented.), likely due to the low signal intensity of small gain volume. Here, we demonstrate robust WGM lasing at depths significantly beyond the diffusion limit using a functionalized commercial nylon fiber with a diameter of (Formula presented.) 260 (Formula presented.). The fiber's high refractive index ((Formula presented.)) and mechanical flexibility enable efficient optical confinement and tissue integration. Benefiting from an enlarged gain volume, high-quality WGM laser emission with discrete periodic resonances was maintained at depths of 5 mm in scattering phantoms (up to 53 (Formula presented.)) and 3 mm beneath porcine skin. This work establishes the dye-functionalized nylon fiber as a scalable architecture for high-quality light generation deep in optically challenging biological environments. Integrating such lasing capabilities into existing medical filaments such as sutures in the future may pave the way toward long-term in situ deep-tissue therapeutics and diagnostics.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Universidad de La Laguna Spain (ES)

How to cite

APA:

Ni, D., Klämpfl, F., Lahoz, F., Schmidt, M., & Hohmann, M. (2026). Deep-Tissue Light Generation via Whispering Gallery Mode Lasing From a Commercial Nylon Fiber for Biomedical Applications. Advanced Materials Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.71202

MLA:

Ni, Dongqin, et al. "Deep-Tissue Light Generation via Whispering Gallery Mode Lasing From a Commercial Nylon Fiber for Biomedical Applications." Advanced Materials Technologies (2026).

BibTeX: Download