Transparent Ag-TiO2-PMMA composite for optical limiting

作者：Xu, Xiaoyun^*

来源：Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials-Rapid Communications, 2022, 16(1-2): 61-67.

• Ag
• TiO2
• PMMA
• Transparent composite
• Optical limiting

The construction of the optical limiting materials is of great technological important for various applications such as in laser surgery, laser machining, optical communication and spectroscopy analysis. Despite of the great progress in development of optical non-linear materials, it still remains a great challenge for construction of optical limiting materials with combinative features of easy processing, strong optical limiting effect and broadband spectra response. Here we present the design and synthesis of the Ag-TiO2-PMMA composite and characterization of its structure and optical properties. The composite is featured by the PMMA matrix embedded with the functional Ti-O structure units and Ag nanostructures. The composite is highly transparent and can be potentially shaped into various shapes. It presents broadband optical response covering the ultra-violet, visible and near-infrared waveband region from 200 to 750 nm. The nonlinear absorption coefficient of the composite is about 7 times higher compared with that of the pure PMMA. The application of the composite as optical limiting candidate is demonstrated and the optical limiting threshold of the composite reaches to 169.4 GW/cm(2). The results about the rational combination of the functional structure units in the composite provide valuable references for developing the next generation optical functional material.