Formation and third-order optical nonlinearities of silver nano-crystals embedded bismuthate glasses

• Synthesis of Ag nanocrystals composited bismuthate glasses by a single-step method.
• Observation of broad SPR band with spectral coverage from visible to near infrared region.
• Ultrafast third-order nonlinear response time (<100 fs) of the Ag-bismuthate nanocomposites.

We report the synthesis of silver nano-crystals (Ag-NCs) composited bismuthate glasses through a single-step thermal reduction approach. The Ag-NCs show broad surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption bands with spectral coverage from visible to near infrared region. Bi2O3 is found to be the key factor to the formation of Ag-NCs, e.g. their number density varies significantly and the corresponding SPR red-shifts as Bi2O3 content increased. Third-order optical nonlinearities (TON) of the silver-bismuthate nanocomposites were investigated by Z-scan and pump-probe techniques at the wavelength of 800 nm. The experimental results revealed SPR-assisted behavior and ultrafast temporal response (less than 100 fs) of TON properties of the nanocomposites.

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