Synthesis, characterization and third-order nonlinear optical properties of a dodecaruthenium organometallic dendrimer with a zinc(ii) tetraphenylporphyrin core.

A new Zn(ii) porphyrin-based dendrimer (52) containing twelve Ru(ii) alkynyl fragments, has been prepared following a convergent approach in two steps from 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-ethynylphenyl)porphyrinatozinc(ii) (6). The cubic nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of 52 and other derivatives of 6 have been measured by third-harmonic generation (THG) at 1907 nm and by Z-scan over the spectral range 500-1700 nm, revealing the remarkable NLO response of 52 in the near-IR range. These results highlight the beneficial role of the extended "cross fourchée"-like polymetallic structure of 52 on its third-order NLO properties.

Surface area-dependent second harmonic generation from silver nanorods.

The nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of metallic nanoparticles strongly depend on their size and shape. Metallic gold nanorods have already been widely investigated, but other noble metals could also be used for nanorod fabrication towards applications in photonics. Here we report on the synthesis and NLO characterization of silver nanorods (AgNRs) with controllable localized surface plasmon resonance. We have implemented an original, one-step and seedless synthesis method, based on a spontaneous particle growth technique in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent. Colloidal solutions of AgNRs with various aspect ratios (5.0; 6.3; 7.5; 8.2 and 9.7) have been obtained and characterized using Harmonic light scattering (HLS) at 1064 nm, in order to investigate their quadratic NLO properties. From HLS experiments, we demonstrate that hyperpolarizability (ß) values of AgNRs display a strong dependence on their surface area.

Optimization of second harmonic generation of gold nanospheres and nanorods in aqueous solution: the dominant role of surface area.

Size and shape of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have a strong influence on their second order nonlinear optical properties. In this work, we propose a systematic investigation of surface and shape effects in the case of small gold nanoparticles. Colloidal solutions on AuNPs with different sizes and shapes have been synthesized, i.e. nanospheres (diameters 3.0; 11.6; 15.8; 17.4; 20.0 and 43 nm) and nanorods (aspect ratios 1.47; 1.63 and 2.30). The first hyperpolarizability ß values of these AuNPs have been measured by harmonic light scattering (HLS) at 1064 nm. For nanospheres and nanorods, we found that their ß values are governed by a purely local, dipolar contribution, as confirmed by their surface area dependence. As an important consequence of these surface effects, we have revisited the previously reported aspect ratio dependence of ß values for gold nanorods, and evidenced the predominant influence of nanoparticle area over aspect ratio considerations.

High second-order nonlinear response of platinum nanoflowers: the role of surface corrugation.

Platinum nanoflowers (PtNFs) were elaborated using the seed-mediated growth technique applied to monodisperse platinum nanoparticles (∼3.0 nm) synthesized by the chemical reduction method. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the formation of face-centered-cubic platinum nanocrystals. We report the Harmonic Light Scattering (HLS) properties of PtNFs for six different diameters (∼7.0; 8.0; 10.0; 14.0; 20.0 and 31.0 nm). From these HLS data we infer, for the first time, large hyperpolarizability ß values of PtNFs. These very high ß values of PtNFs are assigned mainly to highly corrugated surfaces for nanoparticles with irregular shapes.

Four-coordinate nickel(II) and copper(II) complex based ONO tridentate Schiff base ligands: synthesis, molecular structure, electrochemical, linear and nonlinear properties, and computational study.

We report the synthesis, characterization, crystal structures, nonlinear-optical (NLO) properties, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of nickel(ii) and copper(ii) complex based ONO tridentate Schiff base ligands: two mononuclear compounds, [Ni(An-ONO)(NC5H5)] (5) and [Cu(An-ONO)(4-NC5H4C(CH3)3)] (6), and two heterobimetallic species, [M(Fc-ONO)(NC5H5)] (M = Ni, 7; Cu, 8), where An-ONOH2 (3) and Fc-ONOH2 (4) are the 1 : 1 condensation products of 2-aminophenol and p-anisoylacetone and ferrocenoylacetone, respectively. These compounds were characterised by microanalysis, FT-IR and X-ray crystallography in the solid state and in solution by UV-vis and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structures of 3-5, 7 and 8 have been determined and show for Schiff base complexes 5, 7 and 8 a four-coordinated square-planar environment for nickel and copper ions. The electrochemical behavior of all derivatives 3-8 was investigated by cyclic voltammetry in dichloromethane, and discussed on the basis of DFT-computed electronic structures of the neutral and oxidized forms of the compounds. The second-order NLO responses of 3-8 have been determined by harmonic light scattering measurements using a 10(-2) M solution of dichloromethane and working with a 1.91 µm incident wavelength, giving rather high ß1.91 values of 350 and 290 × 10(-30) esu for the mononuclear species 5 and 6, respectively. The assignment and the nature of the electronic transitions observed in the UV-vis spectra were analyzed using time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations. They are dominated by LMCT, MLCT and π-π* transitions.