Enhanced optical limiting in functionalized hydrogen exfoliated graphene and its metal hybrids

Abstract

We present the mechanism and performance of optical limiting (OL) in hydrogen exfoliated graphene (HEG), functionalized HEG (f-HEG) and its metal hybrids. At the wavelengths used, the mechanism of nonlinear absorption (NLA) involves two-photon absorption and excited state absorption in the nanosecond excitation regime, and saturable absorption in combination with two-photon absorption in the femtosecond (ultrafast) excitation regime. The role of defects in the OL performance of HEG and f-HEG is investigated with the help of their Raman spectra. OL efficiency of f-HEG is found to improve with Pt and Pd nanoparticle decoration due to an enhanced NLA, which arises mainly from interband transitions between the d band and the s–p conduction band in the metal NPs, and charge transfer between f-HEG and metal NPs. Thermally induced light scattering is negligible in these water dispersed systems.