Ultrafast optical limiting properties and transient dynamics of symmetrical phenoxazinium bromine salt

• Optical limiting properties and transient dynamics of titled salt are investigated.
• Photo-physical parameters are achieved via Z-scan and transient absorption spectra.
• Large reverse saturable absorption at femtosecond time regime is exhibited.

A symmetrical phenoxazinium bromine salt with resonant D–π–D structure was prepared and spectroscopically characterized. The ultrafast nonlinear optical (NLO) response of the compound dissolved in DMF was investigated using open aperture Z-scan method with 190 fs laser pulses at 515 nm. And the photo-physical dynamics of the compound was studied using transient absorption spectra at femtosecond time regime. The titled sample showed strong reverse saturable absorption (RSA) at 515 nm. Transient absorption results demonstrated that the compound exhibited RSA signals at 478–580 nm and SA signals at 600–780 nm. A simplified three-energy-level model was used to determine the photo-physical parameters. And the excited-state lifetime was evaluated to be around one nanosecond. Our results show that the phenoxazinium bromine salt has a large ratio of singlet excited-state absorption cross-section to that of ground state cross-section (18.7), indicating it is a candidate material for future ultrafast optical limiters.