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We investigated the effect of oxygen on the photostability of the laser dyes Pyrromethene 567, Perylene Orange, and Rhodamine 590 by determining their longevity of laser operation when pumped by the second harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. In solution, dissolved oxygen accelerated the photodegradation of Pyrromethene 567 and Perylene Orange but not Rhodamine 590. The photostability of Pyrromethene 567 was also found to be dependent on the solvent and on the lifetime of singlet oxygen. Deoxygenated Pyrromethene 567 doped polycom glass and modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (MPMMA) samples were tested for longevity of laser operation. A factor of 6 improvement in photostability was found for Pyrromethene 567 in MPMMA upon deoxygenation, and the total absorbed energy per mole of dye molecules to one-half output pulse energy was 36 GJ mol-1.
Rahn et al. (Wed,) studied this question.