Influence of In2O3 nanocrystals incorporation on sodium borosilicate glass and their nonlinear optical properties

Abstract

To maintain the high transparency and superior properties of In2O3, In2O3 nanocrystals with various contents incorporation on sodium borosilicate glass have been successfully prepared by the sol-gel method. Microstructure results confirm that In2O3 nanocrystals with the average particle size of 18.5nm are incorporated in the glass. The UV–vis spectra show that these glasses are UV-absorbing and highly transparent in the visible region. The effect of In2O3 nanocrystals on the nonlinear optical properties is studied systematically using Z-scan measurement. Results demonstrate that the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3) increases from 8.59×10−12 to 8.68×10−11esu with the contents of In2O3 enhanced from 0.5 to 1.5wt% in the glass.