Nonlinear optical transmission of cyanobacteria-derived optical materials

Abstract Cyanobacteria-derived optical materials for optical limiting applications have been studied in this work. Six samples have been prepared from cyanobacteria including cyanobacteria suspension in water, extracts in water, methanol, and N,N-dimethylformamide, and pyrolyzed cyanobacteria (PCYB) dispersed in dsDNA (sodium salt from salmon testes) solution and sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, respectively. The extracts contain phycocyanin, chlorophyll a, and carotenoids as measured by optical absorption spectroscopy, while the PCYB is a nanostructural composite composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoringes, and multilayer graphenes, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The optical limiting responses of the samples have been measured at 532 and 756 nm. The PCYB in dsDNA solution has the best limiting performance out of all the cyanobacteria-derived samples. It outperforms carbon black suspension standard at 532 nm and is a broadband limiter, which makes it attractive for optical limiting applications.