Nonlinear optical properties of systems based on (tetra-15-crown-5-phthalocyaninato)indium(III)

The nonlinear optical properties of solutions of (2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-tetra-15-crown-5-phthalocyaninato)indium(III) (15C5)₄Pc]In(OH) in tetrachloroethane (TCE) have been studied by the z-scan method. It has been found that a nonlinear optical response is due to supramolecular associates formed in a tetrachloroethane solution by heating to 90°C/slow cooling to room temperature cycling. The formation of the supramolecular associates has been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electronic absorption spectroscopy (EAS). It has been shown that a single thermal treatment of (15C5)₄Pc]In(OH) solutions in TCE results in the predominant formation of dimers, as evidenced by both a short-wavelength shift of the Q-absorption band of the monomeric complex (λ_max = 692 nm) to the band of λ_max = 653 nm and height doubling of molecular entities as measured by AFM. The dimers are responsible for the two-photon absorption measured in the femtosecond range, which has a relatively high cross section of σ₂ = 1.38 × 10^?46 cm⁴ s/(molecule, photon) or 1.38 × 10⁴ GM. According to the AFM data, three cycles of heat treatment of the solution leads to the formation of supramolecular assemblies of about 200 nm length. The optical spectrum exhibits long-wavelength absorption at λ_max = 841 nm and the long-wavelength edge near 1300 nm. In the case of nanosecond 1064-nm laser irradiation, the linear absorption S ₀ → S ₁ is primary, having the cross section of σ₀ = α₀/N = 2.3 × 10^?20 cm². The known high quantum yield (close to unity) of triplet states of indium phthalocyanines suggests that the main nonlinear optical effect is determined by intersystem crossing S ₁ → T ₁ and triplet-triplet absorption T ₁ → T ₂. The absorption cross section is σ _T-T = 1.14 × 10^?19 cm².