What is it about?
Copper niobate with CuNb3O8 composition was prepared via one-step solid state reaction (750 °C, 12 h). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of parental CuNb2O6 phase with traces of CuNb3O8 on initial sintering (till 9 h), which was then transformed into pure CuNb3O8 on higher sintering (12 h). Field emission scanning electron microscope studies (FESEM) illustrates the formation of truncated cubes due to unification of layered structure upon prolonged heating. Third-order nonlinear optical properties of truncated CuNb3O8 was studied by Z-scan technique using Ti: Sapphire laser (800 nm, 150 fs, 80 MHz). Pure CuNb3O8 possessed strong nonlinear absorption (two-photon absorption coefficient of 5.3×10−10 m/W) and nonlinear refractive index n2 (2.1×10−16m2/W) compared to mixed copper niobate (CuNb2O6 - CuNb3O8). The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of CuNb3O8 was∼10−11 esu and was higher than the known nonlinear optical (NLO) systems such as lithium niobate and sodium niobate measured at similar pulse duration. Enhancement in nonlinearity arises due to the influence of morphology and here truncated cubes with the platonic solids offer high polarizability as the charges are concentrated in the edges of the system. The truncated cube CuNb3O8 exhibited strong optical limiting action with a low limiting threshold (34.6 μJ/cm2), thus making it appealing for ultrafast optical limiter devices towards photosensitive component protection from Infrared (IR) laser damage.
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Why is it important?
Copper niobate with CuNb3O8 composition was prepared via one-step solid state reaction (750 °C, 12 h). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of parental CuNb2O6 phase with traces of CuNb3O8 on initial sintering (till 9 h), which was then transformed into pure CuNb3O8 on higher sintering (12 h). Field emission scanning electron microscope studies (FESEM) illustrates the formation of truncated cubes due to unification of layered structure upon prolonged heating. Third-order nonlinear optical properties of truncated CuNb3O8 was studied by Z-scan technique using Ti: Sapphire laser (800 nm, 150 fs, 80 MHz). Pure CuNb3O8 possessed strong nonlinear absorption (two-photon absorption coefficient of 5.3×10−10 m/W) and nonlinear refractive index n2 (2.1×10−16m2/W) compared to mixed copper niobate (CuNb2O6 - CuNb3O8). The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of CuNb3O8 was∼10−11 esu and was higher than the known nonlinear optical (NLO) systems such as lithium niobate and sodium niobate measured at similar pulse duration. Enhancement in nonlinearity arises due to the influence of morphology and here truncated cubes with the platonic solids offer high polarizability as the charges are concentrated in the edges of the system. The truncated cube CuNb3O8 exhibited strong optical limiting action with a low limiting threshold (34.6 μJ/cm2), thus making it appealing for ultrafast optical limiter devices towards photosensitive component protection from Infrared (IR) laser damage.
Perspectives
A comparative study on the nonlinear optical absorption, nonlinear refraction and limiting behaviour of mixed and pure phase of CuNb3O8 was made. Sintering time transformed the crystal structure from parent CuNb2O6 into CuNb3O8 which was confirmed from the shift in characteristic XRD peak. Morphotypes of the copper niobate turns from agglomerated clusters into most preferential truncated cubes due to densification process. The observed nonlinear absorption is reverse saturable behaviour and can be attributed due to 2PA process. And the nonlinear refraction is self-defocusing arising from the negative nonlinear refractive index of the sample. Among the prepared samples truncated cubic CuNb3O8 possess higher 2PA coefficient (5.4×10−10 m/W) nonlinear refractive index (10−16m2/W) and nonlinear optical susceptibility (10.6×10−11 esu). This arises due to factors such as i) niobium in the distorted octahedral chain forming a dense interconnected cage, ii) truncated cubic platonic morphotype with edge structure and iii) perovskite structure providing better thermal stability. Pure CuNb3O8 with low limiting threshold (34.6 μJ/ cm2) is identified to be better optical limiting material against ultrashort pulse IR laser than other copper niobate systems like O- CuNb2O6, mixed (m-CuNb2O6- O-CuNb2O6) and m-CuNbO3.
Professor Venugopal Rao Soma
University of Hyderabad
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This page is a summary of: Nonlinear absorption and refraction studies of truncated CuNb3O8 with high-repetition rate femtosecond pulses, Materials Chemistry and Physics, December 2018, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2018.09.013.
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