Third-order nonlinear optical characteristics of natural dye anthocyanin extracted from Ixora coccinea

Abstract The crucial role of nonlinear optical (NLO) materials in propelling future technologies and industrial applications cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, lacking materials with essential optical and environmental properties has stifled progress in nonlinear optics. This challenge has spurred extraordinary research efforts aimed at discovering advanced NLO materials. This study presents compelling findings on the third-order NLO characteristics of a natural anthocyanin dye extracted from Ixora coccinea using a cold extraction method with ethanol as the solvent. A linear absorption study was executed using UV-Visible spectrophotometer, while FTIR analysis was carried out to ascertain the functional groups of this pigment. We employed the single-beam Z-scan technique with 7 ns Nd: YAG laser pulses at 532 nm for precise measurement. Our results, showcasing the nonlinear absorption coefficient and refractive index, strongly suggest that these materials are viable and highly promising candidates for the innovation of future photonic devices.