Third order optical nonlinearity and diffraction pattern of Ni nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation

In this article we studied all-optical Kerr effect of Ni nanoparticles immersed in ethanol using z-scan method. The nanoparticles were prepared by high frequency pulsed laser ablation. UV-Visible optical absorption spectroscopy and SEM observation were employed for characterization and studying the morphology of Ni nanoparticles. Analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the synthesized nanoparticles shape were dominantly spherical, varying from 19 nm to 40 nm for 1 mJ pulse energy. The nonlinear absorption and refraction indices were measured using open- and closed-aperture z-scan techniques, with both ON and pulsed irradiations. In both regimes results were studied. Furthermore, diffraction rings pattern as a result of nonlinear refraction was observed. We suggested an opportunity to form a new nonlinear-optical media for nonlinear optical applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.