Abstract

Nanometric gold particles were synthesized by a liquid/liquid phase-transfer reaction. Composites of these particles were prepared by free-radical polymerization of solutions of the particles in methyl methacrylate monomer. Concentrations of 1.0, 0.7, and 0.3 mg/mlwere prepared, with no noticeable agglomeration of particles during processing. PMMA/gold films showed a linear absorption peak at 530 nm, which is characteristic of nanosized gold. High-resolution electron microscopy measurement showed that the particle diameters varied from 5 to 11 nm. Degenerate four-wave mixing experiments on 10- micron films yielded a maximum value of 1.4 × 10^‒11 e.s.u. for the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility at 532 nm.

© 1995 Optical Society of America