Improved nonlinear optical and optical limiting properties in non-covalent functionalized reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticle (NF-RGO/Ag-NPs) hybrid

Nonlinear optical (NLO) response under near infrared (800 nm) and visible (532 nm) laser excitations, of 100 fs (fs) and 5 ns (ns) pulse durations respectively, of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), non-covalent functionalized reduced graphene oxide (NF-RGO) and NF-RGO decorated with various concentration of silver nanoparticles (NF-RGO/Ag-NPs) have been investigated using the Open-aperture Z-Scan technique. For both femtosecond and nanosecond laser excitations, the studied graphene-based materials exhibit good nonlinear optical power limiting properties (OL), with NF-RGO/Ag-NPs sample prepared with 0.1 M AgNO₃ showing the best nonlinear optical properties. For the ns regime, the optical limiting threshold decreased from 8.3 J/cm² in NF-RGO to 4.3 J/cm² in NF-RGO/Ag-NPs, while at fs regime, the nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) was found to increase with decrease in concentration of Ag-NPs in the hybrid. Two-photon absorption (2 PA) in combination with saturable absorption (SA) in femtosecond regime, and reverse saturable absorption (RSA) along with saturable absorption (SA) in the nanosecond regime, are responsible for the observed nonlinear optical absorption (NLA) behavior in these materials. These findings show that the as-synthesized NF-RGO/Ag-NPs hybrid is a relatively better material for nonlinear optical limiting applications.