Enhancement of the linear, nonlinear and optical limiting properties of epoxy resin decorated by zinc oxide nanoparticles

Epoxy resin decorated by zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles film was successfully prepared onto a glass substrate. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the surface morphology of the prepared film. It is clearly observed that these nanoparticles are adhered onto the surface of the epoxy resin and cover its entire area. The UV-vis measurements of the as-prepared ZnO/epoxy resin microstructures displayed the outstanding enhancement in the photocatalytic properties. The optical band gap of the obtained film shows a significant increase up to 3.7 eV due to the non-stoichiometric distribution of zinc and oxygen atoms in the obtained structure. The nonlinear optical properties of the film were investigated using the Z-scan technique. Large and negative nonlinear refractive index of the sample is determined. The optical limiting property of the film is reported, and the optical limiting mechanism is originated from the thermal effect and the nonlinear scattering. The obtained materials along with the high nonlinearities demonstrates the possibly of incorporating this material in many functions related to photonic applications.