Optical limiting response by embedding copper phthalocyanine into polymer host

The multilayer film of PMMA containing mononuclear octakis(mercaptopropylisobutyl-POSS) substituted phthalocyaninato-copper (CuPc) was obtained by spin-coating on quartz substrate. The nonlinear absorption and optical limiting (OL) performance of CuPc have been described using the open-aperture Z-scan technique. The measurements were performed using collimated 4 ns pulses generated from a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm wavelength. The results indicate that CuPc/PMMA composite exhibits a much larger nonlinear absorption coefficient, a lower saturable fluence and a lower absorption cross-section ratio for optical limiting when compared to the same CuPc molecules in solution. No evidence of film fatigue or degradation was observed in the CuPc/PMMA film after numerous scans at varying laser intensity. This material is a good candidate for optical limiting applications. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.