Increased optical nonlinearities of graphene nanohybrids covalently functionalized by axially-coordinated porphyrins

Two graphene oxide (GO)-based nanohybrid materials possessing covalent linkages to axially-coordinated tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), GO–TPP, were prepared and were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption, steady state fluorescence, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis and Raman spectroscopic techniques. The nonlinear optical properties and optical limiting performance of GO, GO–TPP nanohybrids and the free porphyrins dihydroxotin(IV) tetraphenylporphyrin (SnTPP) and the phosphorus-cored porphyrin (PTPP) were investigated using nanosecond and picosecond Z-scan measurements at 532 nm. At the identical mass concentration of 0.2 mg mL−1, GO–TPP nanohybrids exhibited enhanced nonlinear optical properties and optical limiting performance, ascribed to a combination of nonlinear scattering and/or two-photon absorption with reverse saturable absorption, and the photo-induced electron or energy transfer from the electron-donor porphyrin moiety to the acceptor graphene.