Optical properties of deoxyribonucleic acid thin layers deposited on an elastomer substrate

The paper presents our research on the optical properties of thin-film deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) complexes based on cetyltrimethylammonium (DNA-CTMA) deposited onto an optical elastomer substrate, which may be suitable for the construction of biophotonic devices. The study involved the measurement of Raman spectra, absorption spectra from the visible to the near-infrared region and the values of the refractive indices by m-line spectroscopy at five wavelengths (473, 632.8, 964, 1311, and 1552 nm). The samples were proved to have waveguiding properties from visible to infrared spectrum and high contrast of refractive index - the value is 0,0457. Photoluminescence measurement was done under excitation at three wavelengths (355, 405 and 450 nm) and showed one broadband with maxima at 437, 520 and 530 nm depending on the excitation wavelengths. The study has demonstrated that this combination of polymers, because of its unique properties, has great potential for the implementation of all-polymer structures in the applications of high-density photonics and biocompatible optical devices. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement