Nonlinear optical studies on a new poly{2-(biphenyl-4-yl)-5-[3,4- didecyloxy-5-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)thiophen-2-yl]-1,3,4-oxadiazole}

Measurements of nonlinear optical properties of a newly synthesized thiophene based polymer are reported. The nonlinear transmission measurements were performed on the polymer dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide by employing the single beam Z-scan technique using a Q-switched laser output at 532-nm. The polymer shows strong optical limiting behavior, where the transmittance decreases when the pump fluence is increased. It was found that an effective three-photon absorption (3PA) model at the excitation wavelength gives the best fit to the obtained experimental data. The value of the 3PA coefficient has been numerically calculated. This study clearly reveals the potential of new polymeric material has, for optical limiting applications.