Enhanced optical limiting of dispersible MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposite

Using multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as support and TiO2 nanoparticles as precursor, the MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared through sol-gel method and characterized by UV-vis Spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Then the non-covalent modification generated stable MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposite suspensions by using ionic liquid surfactant which is C16MIMBr as dispersant. Finally, the suspension was investigated with nanosecond pulses at 532 nm to study the nonlinear optical properties by using a zscan method. The results show the MWCNTs/TiO2 nanocomposite is superior to the MWCNTs as suspensions. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.