Nonlinearity enhancement of Multi-walled carbon nanotube decorated with ZnO nanoparticles prepared by laser assisted method

Abstract

A nanosecond solid state Nd:YAG laser was employed to develop nanocomposites from multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated with ZnO nanoparticles in a single step to improve their optoelectronic capabilities. The physicochemical features of the produced samples were investigated using various spectroscopic methods. The produced results showed that the MWCNTs image has a smooth tubular surface associated with spherical material of ZnO that is uniformly connected to the surface nanomaterials. There were no extra particles discovered surrounding MWCNTs, and the elemental analysis study consisted of just Zn, C, and O. Moreover, the diffraction patterns showed the main characteristic peaks of the graphite structure and the ZnO structure. Besides, the transition motion of the prepared ZnO was red-shifted compared to that of bulk ZnO. Also, the intensity ratios (ID/IG) were developed to higher values than pristine MWCNTs. After that, the Z-scan approach was used to evaluate the nonlinear characteristics of the produced nanocomposite at the different irradiation laser intensities. It was shown that as the incident laser intensities increase, the values of nonlinearity parameters increase, and metal oxide nanoparticles improve the nonlinearity of MWCNTs significantly because metal oxide nanoparticles increase the time of electron transfer and photon transition, resulting in recombination for both electrons and holes, and extend the free carrier's working time, improving the nonlinear optical properties of nanocomposites. These results show a simple way to make a smart nanocomposite with great nonlinearity properties. These nanocomposites could be used in optical devices like optical switches and optical sensors.