Enhancing the linear absorption and tuning the nonlinearity of TiO2 nanowires through the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles

We report on the enhanced linear absorption and modified nonlinear absorption of TiO2 nanowires coated with Ag nanoparticles. Experimental results indicated that the coated Ag nanoparticles significantly increased the linear absorption of the nanostructures in the wavelength range of visible light. Z-scan experiments showed that when the excitation energy increased, the nonlinear absorption of the TiO2 nanowires changed from reverse-saturable absorption to saturable absorption. When Ag nanoparticles were coated on the TiO2 nanowires, the reverse-saturable absorption was significantly inhibited. The as-prepared nanostructures may find potential applications in the field of solar cells and all-optical switching.