I. M. Kislyakov

Stability and optical limiting properties of a single wall carbon nanotubes dispersion in a binary water-glycerol solvent

We report the temporal stability of the dispersion of single-wall carbon nanotubes in a binary solvent “water + glycerol” having eutectic composition (ca. 67% wt.) with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate as a dispersant. The system procures good temporal and thermal stability: its absorption spectra demonstrate no changes during one-year storage with temperature spanning −40 to +40 °C. The system provides non-linear optical power limiting of the incident laser radiation (532 nm) in a one-shot and pulse-periodic regimes of its applying.

Nonlinear scattering studies of carbon black suspensions using photoacoustic Z-scan technique

Nonlinear scattering properties of carbon black suspensions (CBS) are studied using nanosecond photoacoustic (PA) and optical z-scan techniques. When the laser is operated in multi-pulse mode, no nonlinear behavior is observed in PAZ-scans. However, in the single-pulse mode, we observed the nonlinear scattering in both PAZ and optical z- scans. Our results are in agreement with the well-known bleaching effect in CBS and demonstrate the importance of pulse repetition frequency for studying nonlinear scattering using photoacoustics. The effective nonlinear extinction coefficients of CBS were determined, and we found that PAZ-scan data are more sensitive and offer information on higher nonlinearities.

Comparative studies of optical limiting in fullerene and shungite nanocarbon aqueous dispersions

Optical limiting properties of natural carbon nanoparticles (Shungite carbon) and fullerene aggregates in aqueous dispersions were for the first time studied and juxtaposed. For the picosecond laser pulses both dispersions exhibited comparable optical limiting property, apparently due to nonlinear absorption (mainly TPA). In the domain of the nanosecond laser pulses, nonlinear scattering NLS is thought to be main optical limiting mechanism in the dispersions under study. Shungite carbon dispersion showed stronger optical limiting (being similar to CBS) in visible and IR, which we ascribe to its structure more favorable to the thermal relaxation processes responsible for the NLS mechanism.

Structural and optical properties of solid-phase singlet oxygen photosensitizers based on fullerene aqueous suspensions

The relationship between the structural and photosensitizing properties of solid-phase particles of fullerene C60 in aqueous suspensions is studied using the methods of absorption spectroscopy, electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR), X-ray diffraction, and spectrophotometry of solutions of singlet oxygen chemical traps—histidine in combination with p-nitrosodimethylaniline. Two new variants are proposed for obtaining aqueous suspensions of particles of solid-phase fullerene whose structures are disordered and whose degrees of amorphization are 67 and 40%, respectively. It is shown that an increase in the disorder of the structure of particles in suspensions and a decrease in their average size facilitate an increase in the formation efficiency of singlet oxygen by solid-phase fullerene presumably due to an in increase in the concentration of surface localized excitons.

Direct optical excitation of singlet oxygen in organic solvents

Efficient excitation of singlet oxygen is demonstrated for several organic solvents (CS2, CCl4, and C6F14) that are irradiated using LED in the visible spectral range in the absorption bands of the O2-O2 collision complexes at the corresponding cooperative transitions. It is shown that the two-photon interaction of the pumping radiation in the Herzberg I band of molecular oxygen with its excitation to the 3Σu+ state and the subsequent collisional relaxation to the 1Σg and 1Δg singlet states contributes to the excitation of singlet oxygen.

Photostability of a C60 fullerene coating as a solid-phase photosensitizer of singlet oxygen

The stability of the optical properties and the generation efficiency of singlet oxygen of a solidphase photosensitizer based on fullerene in an aqueous suspension subjected to prolonged intense irradiation with visible light are studied in comparison with a photosensitizer based on methylene blue in an aqueous solution. Changes in the absorption spectra show that, as a result of 20-min irradiation, the content of fullerene decreases by 2% from its initial value, while that of methylene blue decreases by 19%. In both cases, the dynamics of the decrease in the photosensitizing ability of the photosensitizers in the course of their irradiation correlates with the changes in their spectra, but the magnitude of this decrease in the case of the solid-phase photosensitizer is greater than the magnitude of its spectral changes because of the surface nature of the photosensitization process. The study of the absorption spectra of fullerene coatings shows that their irradiation in water or in air causes the same photodegradation of fullerene. At the same time, studies with the help of the electron spin resonance (ESR) technique reveal differences in the nature of processes undergone by fullerene in water and in air.

Modules for protecting the eyes from laser radiation in observational devices

This paper presents the results of the development of modules for protecting the eyes from laser radiation in the visible and near-IR regions. A description is given of a nonlinear-optical module with a medium based on a suspension of carbon nanoparticles in a silicone liquid, a multispectral interference filter having narrow reflection bands with minimal transmission at wavelengths of 355, 532, and 1064 nm, and a system adequate for observational devices with embedded protective elements. The combined use of the protective modules makes it possible to reduce the energy at the output of the system to a level no greater than 200 pJ when the input energy is 50 mJ and the pulse-repetition rates are as much as 10 Hz, thus ensuring the safety of the observer’s eyes.

Comparative studies of singlet oxygen generation by fullerenes and single- and multilayer carbon nanotubes in aqueous suspensions

Singlet oxygen generation is studied in three types of carbon nanoparticles (C60 fullerene and single- and multilayer carbon nanotubes in the form of aqueous suspensions obtained by sonication) upon their irradiation by continuous-wave broadband visible radiation of light-emitting diodes.

Advancement and problems of fullerene-oxygen-iodine laser

The methods of improving the efficiency of a fullerene-oxygen-iodine laser are investigated. In the course of this research, we developed new fullerene coatings that possess better mechanical and radiative hardness, as well as higher efficiency of singlet oxygen generation. We show that, by using these coatings, the energy yield per unit volume of the active medium can be increased to 9 J/l, which is almost two times higher than the previous result. The energy efficiency of the laser can also be increased by a factor of nearly two. At the same time, several problems were revealed that hinder the further improvement of the laser efficiency and its long-term operation with stable parameters of the output radiation. We outline principal approaches to further optimization of the laser design that would help to overcome the negative factors and make it possible to create a fullerene-oxygen-iodine laser with high and stable parameters of the output radiation.

Spectral properties of zinc sulfide sols stabilized by high-molecular polyvinylpyrrolidone

Spectral properties of zinc sulfide sols stabilized by high-molecular polyvinylpyrrolidone have been studied. It is shown that the absorption spectra of colloidal solutions in the UV spectral range are determined by the quantum-confinement effect, exhibiting a dependence of the absorption edge on the size of zinc sulfide nanocrystals.