Fe induced optical limiting properties of Zn1−xFexS nanospheres

Zn1−xFexS (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) nanospheres were synthesized by polyethylene glycol assisted hydrothermal method. XRD studies revealed that samples of all concentrations exhibited cubic structure with crystallite grain size 7-9 nm. TEM and SEM show the formation of nanospheres by dense aggregation of smaller particles. Increasing Zn/Fe ratio tune the band gap from 3.4 to 3.2 eV and also quenches the green luminescence. FTIR spectra reveal the presence of capping agent, intensity variation and shifting of LO and TO phonon modes confirm the presence of Fe ions. Nonlinear optical properties were measured using open and closed aperture z-scan techniques, employing frequency doubled 532 nm pumping sources which indicated reverse saturable absorption (RSA) process. The nonlinear optical coefficients are obtained by two photon absorption (2PA). Composition dependent nonlinear optical coefficients “β”, nonlinear refractive index, third order susceptibility and optical limiting threshold were estimated. The sample shows good nonlinear absorption and enhancement of optical limiting behavior with increasing Fe volume fraction. Contribution of RSA on optical nonlinearity of Zn1−xFexS nanospheres are also investigated using three different input energies. Zn1−xFexS with comparatively small limiting threshold value is a promising candidate for optical power limiting applications.