Unidirectional Optical Kerr Transmittance in Hierarchical Carbon/Platinum Nanostructures

Samuel Morales-Bonilla,Cecilia Mercado-Zúñiga,Juan Pablo Campos-López,César Carrillo-Delgado,Carlos Torres-Torres,Claudia Lizbeth Martínez-González

doi:10.3390/photonics7030054

Samuel Morales-Bonilla, Cecilia Mercado-Zúñiga + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics7030054

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Abstract

A strong contrast in the third-order nonlinear optical effects exhibited by hierarchical nanostructures explored in a bidirectional optical circuit is reported. The samples were integrated by multiwall carbon nanotubes and platinum-decorated carbon nanotubes synthetized by an aerosol pyrolysis technique and followed by a chemical vapor deposition method. Coupled and decoupled third-order nonlinear optical properties of the nanocomposites were studied. A nanosecond two-wave mixing experiment at 532 nm wavelength was conducted to analyze the optical Kerr effect in the samples. Multi-photonic interactions were evaluated by a single-beam transmittance as a function of input irradiance and volume fraction of the nanoparticles integrated in the nanohybrids. A two-photon absorption process was identified as the main physical mechanism responsible for the anisotropy in the observed optical nonlinearities. Random carbon nanotube networks in film form were put on top of platinum-decorated carbon nanotubes in order to build up a bilayer sample featuring optical selectivity. The switching of optical signals in propagation through the samples was obtained by an orientation-selectable optical transmittance. Unidirectional optically controlled laser pulses dependent on irradiance and polarization in a two-wave mixing was proposed with potential nanophotonic and nanoelectronic applications. The design of signal processing functions driven by nanohybrid platforms can be contemplated.

Highlights

In the last years, the progress in nanotechnology has promoted outstanding solutions for developing new alternatives in material science and engineering
multiwall CNT (MWCNT), we observed range of diameters from a1 range of diameters from 1 to 10an nm; we considered an average diameter of 5nm
In order to resolve the imaginary part related to χ(3), we explored an input–output experiment as a order of magnitude higher than the same parameter exhibited by the MWCNT denoted as m

Summary

Introduction

The progress in nanotechnology has promoted outstanding solutions for developing new alternatives in material science and engineering. A growing number of different nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be useful in multifunctional applications regarding their remarkable nonlinear optical and mechanical characteristics [1,2,3,4,5,6,7] In this aspect, the advanced features of carbon-based nanomaterials pointed out unique geometrical structures, high-speed electronic phenomena, photonic nonlinearities, and superlative mechanical effects [8,9,10,11]. When the length of CNT is several times larger than their inner diameter, they behave as electrical dipoles for a specific wavelength, and a strong selectivity for optical absorption can be originated [15] In this direction, multiwall CNT (MWCNT) can absorb approximately 3 times the amount of light absorbed by single-wall CNT (SWCNT) because of the presence of more electrons available for absorption per particle [16]. The electrical and optical behavior exhibited by CNT can be enhanced by the modification in their chirality and alignment [17]

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