Solvent effects on the linear and nonlinear optical response of silver nanoparticles

Linear and nonlinear (NL) optical properties of silver colloids stabilized with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) in water, acetone, methanol, and ethylene glycol were studied. Images obtained by transmission electron microscopy reveal narrow size distributions of silver nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters centered at approximate to 6.3 nm (aqueous colloid) and in the 4.3-4.9 nm range for the other colloids. The behavior of the surface plasmon resonance band associated with the NPs was monitored through the linear absorption spectrum, and its dependence on the linear refraction index and the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the solvent molecules was analyzed. The phenomenological parameter, A, obtained from the linear absorption spectra, includes contributions due to the surface effects and the solvent. The third order susceptibility of the colloid was measured using the Z-scan technique at 532 nm, and the NL optical susceptibility of the NPs was determined using the Maxwell-Garnett model. The results indicate that the NL response of the colloids is largely influenced by the molecules adsorbed on the NPs surfaces and the EDM of the solvent molecules.