Nonlinear Optical Properties of Materials Based on Graphene Oxide: A Review

Background: Nonlinear optical properties of Graphene and Graphene Oxide have been widely used in industry and academia. Graphene oxide disperses easily in water and has easier interaction with other materials because of the presence of oxygen groups. So, this feature of Graphene oxide enables us to manipulate its nonlinear optical properties by combining it with other nanoparticles. Objective: We introduced recent advances in the nonlinear optical properties of materials based on Graphene oxide. Methods: Nonlinear optical properties and optical limiting of Graphene oxide and/or its composites with various nanoparticles, considering the wavelength and the incident pulse width, are investigated in this review. Conclusion: At low intensities and in all pulse regimes, saturation absorption seems to be the dominant mechanism of nonlinear absorption in Graphene oxide, while at higher intensities, the main mechanism is the reverse saturation absorption. In the regime of very short pulses of picoseconds and femtoseconds, the dominant mechanisms of two-photon and multiphoton absorption lead to reverse saturation. In the nanosecond pulse regime, long laser pulses and short pulses with high pulse repetition rates, excited-state absorption and nonlinear scattering due to thermal effects are causing the nonlinear process.