Nonlinear optical properties of conducting polyaniline and polyaniline-Ag composite thin films

The intensity dependent refractive indices of polyaniline and polyaniline-silver nanocomposites are measured. While the material are not good candidates for all-optical switching, they do exhibit reversible processes of saturable and reverse saturable absorption at the same wavelength, a trait that makes them suitable materials for optical pulse compression and limiting. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.