Abstract: ZnO nanowires were prepared by microemulsion synthesis method. The morphology and structure of ZnO nanowires were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectrum, and the third-order nonlinear optical properties of ZnO nanowires were studied by ultra-short pulse Z-scan experiment. The results show that the prepared materials have the same size, good crystallinity and good excitonic photoluminescence characteristics in ultraviolet region. The third-order nonlinear optical refractive index of ZnO nanowires is positive, and the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility is almost three orders larger than that of bulk ZnO materials. Therefore, the ZnO nanowires have good optical and nonlinear optical properties.

Key words: ZnO nanomaterials, third-order nonlinear optical property, Z-scan technique