Study of all-optical switching and optical limiting properties in phenoxy-phthalocyanines liquid

The pump–probe technique and transmission measurement technique were used to study the all-optical switching (A-OS) and optical limiting (OL) behavior of 2, 9, 16, 23-phenoxy-phthalocyanine (Pc1) and 2, 9, 16, 23-phenoxy-phthalocyanine-zinc (Pc2) in predominantly the monomeric solution form. The results show that the A-OS response time of Pc2 is longer than that of Pc1, and switch-off and -on times of A-OS for Pc2 are 1.2 and 11.6 μs and for Pc1 are 2.3 and 7.8 μs at the same intensity. Moreover, the results of OL experiments reveal that Pc1 and Pc2 exhibit strong OL effect at nanosecond laser pulses. These studies make the samples a promising possibility for device realization.

► The A-OS response time for Pc2 are 1.2 and 11.6 μs and Pc1 are 2.3 and 7.8 μs.
► The results reveal that Pc1 and Pc2 exhibit strong optical limiting effect.
► The A-OS response time is determined by the lifetime T1 of molecule.
► The results reveal that the OL efficiency is dependent on the concentration.