Photonic effect in a hyper-swollen lyotropic lamellar phase

We studied the photonic effect in a hyper-swollen lyotropic lamellar phase. This system is composed of only a small percentage of amphiphilic molecules and more than 98% of water by weight; however, it shows clear Bragg reflection because of the periodicity in the order of the visible wavelength. By mixing a laser dye into the lamellar phase, we confirmed the emission enhancement near the higher energy side of the Bragg reflection band, although the effect is weak. We also discuss whether such a structure can exhibit the photonic effect using Berreman's 4 x 4 matrix method. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4734001]