Enhanced third-order nonlinear optical properties determined in thin films using the Z-scan technique:...

π-Conjugated organic materials exhibit high and tunable nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and fast response times. 4'-Phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (PTP) is an important N-heterocyclic ligand involving π-conjugated systems, however, studies concerning the third-order NLO properties of terpyridine transition metal complexes are limited. The title binuclear terpyridine Co(II) complex, bis(μ-4,4'-oxydibenzoato)-κ(3)O,O':O'';κ(3)O'':O,O'-bis[(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine-κ(3)N,N',N'')cobalt(II)], [Co2(C14H8O5)2(C21H15N3)2], (1), has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. In the crystal structure, each Co(II) cation is surrounded by three N atoms of a PTP ligand and three O atoms, two from a bidentate and one from a symmetry-related monodentate 4,4'-oxydibenzoate (ODA(2-)) ligand, completing a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. Neighbouring [Co(PTP)](2+) units are bridged by ODA(2-) ligands to form a ring-like structure. The third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of (1) and PTP were determined in thin films using the Z-scan technique. The title compound shows a strong third-order NLO saturable absorption (SA), while PTP exhibits a third-order NLO reverse saturable absorption (RSA). The absorptive coefficient β of (1) is -37.3 × 10(-7) m W(-1), which is larger than that (8.96 × 10(-7) m W(-1)) of PTP. The third-order NLO susceptibility χ((3)) values are calculated as 6.01 × 10(-8) e.s.u. for (1) and 1.44 × 10(-8) e.s.u. for PTP.