Optoelectronic modulation by multi-wall carbon nanotubes

We report the observation of photoconduction and a strong nonlinear optical absorptive response exhibited by multi-wall carbon nanotubes. An aerosol pyrolysis method was employed for the preparation of the samples. Measurements of the optical transmittance with 7 ns pulses at 1064 nm wavelength allowed us to identify a two-photon absorption effect as the main mechanism of third-order nonlinearity. Photoconductive experiments at 445 nm wavelength seem to confirm the possibility for generating non-resonant multi-photonic absorption processes in the multi-wall carbon nanotubes. By the optical control of the conductivity in the nanotubes, we implement an optoelectronic amplitude modulator device with potential applications for sharp selective functionalities.