Nonlinear Optical Properties of Few-Layer Rhenium Disulfide Nanosheets and Their Passively Q-switched Laser Application

Rhenium disulfide nanosheets (ReS2 NSs) are attracting increasing attention because of their unique layer-independent physicochemical properties, however, their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are less investigated. Herein, ReS2 NSs are successfully exfoliated by the sonication assisted liquid phase exfoliation method. Their broadband NLO responses are studied by open aperture and closed-aperture Z-scan technique at 532-1342nm. The ReS2 NSs dispersion exhibits saturable absorption, nonlinear scattering, and refraction responses. Broadband saturable absorption responses are also observed for the ReS2 NSs film on the glass substrate. Additionally, two-photon absorption response is shown at 1342nm at larger excitation energy. The saturable absorption of ReS2 NSs makes it possible to fabricate the saturable absorber with the as-prepared nanosheets. Passively Q-switched laser operations are realized at 1.06 and 1.3 mu m. These results have revealed the potential of ReS2 NSs in versatile NLO applications.