Broadband Optical Nonlinearities and Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics of GO-CuS Hybrid Film

We report the broadband optical nonlinearities and ultrafast carrier dynamics of GO doped with CuS nanoparticles (GO-CuS) following the femtosecond pulse lasers. Both the pure GO and GO-CuS hybrid films are first synthesized by the vacuum filter deposition method and their optical nonlinearities are then examined in the wide wavelength range (400 nm–1064 nm) based on the femtosecond Z-scan technique. The results reveal that, compared to the pristine GO, the introduction of CuS not only makes the GO-CuS hybrid film switched from saturated absorption to reverse saturated absorption possible, but also achieves strong broadband optical nonlinear absorption responses and optical limiting effects. It is demonstrated that the strongest nonlinear absorption coefficient (∼3.6 × 10⁻⁷ m/W) appears at 400 nm excitation, which is dozens of times larger than that under the illumination of 1064 nm. By leveraging the femtosecond pump-probe technique, we further study the ultrafast carrier dynamics of the GO-CuS hybrid film carrying the fast and slow relaxation processes. Moreover, the physical mechanisms behind these excellent nonlinear optical responses are elucidated. The findings presented here indicate that the GO-CuS hybrid film can be regarded as a potential promising candidate in various ultrafast photonics devices.