Synthesis and optical characterization of Ag0 nanoparticles

The results of chemical synthesis and optical behavior of silver nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 2-10nm which were obtained by reduction of Ag+ are reported. The material morphology was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and physical properties were studied by photoluminescence in the range of 400-550nm using two different excitation wavelengths (320 and 380nm). The signature provided by the silver plasmon is readily noticed in the silver nanoparticles. The nonlinear optical properties were obtained using a Z-scan setup and agree with previous results obtained by other methods and preparation of samples. In particular, a positive nonlinear refractive index of 5.0115x10-10m2/W was obtained for a broad sample of silver nanoparticles between 2 and 10nm. The agreement between the properties of the thin film sample and the nanoparticles give emphasis to the Z-scan technique for nonlinearity measurements of much more complex metal-dielectric structures.

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