Preparation and nonlinear characterization of zinc selenide nanoparticles embedded in polymer matrix

Nanocomposites of ZnSe nanoparticles embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix have been prepared by in-situ synthesis. ZnSe/PVA nanocomposites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV/Vis spectra. The nanocomposite structure is confirmed by the blue-shift of the absorption edge. The nonlinear refractive index and two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient are measured by the Z-scan technique using low power CW He-Ne laser light. The results show that the ZnSe nanocomposite films show large optical nonlinearity and the magnitude of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility chi((3)) is calculated to be 2.62 x 13(-11) m(2)/V-2. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.