Third-order nonlinear optical properties of Bi2S3 and Sb2S3 nanorods studied by the Z-scan technique

Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) and antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) nanorods were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The products were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Bi2S3 and Sb2S3 nanorods were measured by Z-scan technique to investigate the third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The result of NLO measurements shows that the Bi2S3 and Sb2S3 nanorods have the behaviors of the third-order NLO properties of both NLO absorption and NLO refraction with self-focusing effects. The third-order NLO coefficient χ(3) of the Bi2S3 and Sb2S3 nanorods are 6.25×10−11 esu and 4.55×10−11 esu, respectively. The Sb2S3 and Bi2S3 nanorods with large third-order NLO coefficient are promising materials for applications in optical devices.