Phthalocyanine-Induced Optical Nonlinearity in Ceria: a Z-Scan Study

The work reported in the paper suggests a mechanism of inducing optical nonlinearity in cerium dioxide (CeO2) and turning it into an optical limiter through cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) incorporation. CeO2 prepared by the chemical precipitation method is mixed with CoPc through the solid-state mixing technique to form the nanocomposite, which is subjected to X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopic, and UV-visible spectroscopic characterizations. While the effect of annealing and CoPc incorporation on the optical absorption is studied by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, the Z-scan technique is used for studying the nonlinear refractive index, nonlinear absorption, and optical limiting properties of the samples. The CoPc incorporation to CeO2 annealed at different temperatures is found to enhance (i) the absorption pattern drastically by extending the UV absorption to the near-infrared region, (ii) the nonlinear refractive index, and (iii) the optical limiting capability.