Published May 31, 2022
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On the remarkable nonlinear optical properties of natural tomato lycopene.

Creators

  • 1. UNESCO-UNISA-iTLABS/NRF Africa Chair in Nano-Sciences & Nanotechnology, CGS, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk ridge, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. nagla@aims.ac.za.
  • 2. NANOAFNET, iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation of South Africa, 1 Old Faure Road, Cape Town, 7129, Western Cape, South Africa. nagla@aims.ac.za.
  • 3. Department of Physics, School of Engineering and Technology, Surya Group of Institutions, Vikravandi, Villupuram, Tamilnadu, 605652, India.
  • 4. UNESCO-UNISA-iTLABS/NRF Africa Chair in Nano-Sciences & Nanotechnology, CGS, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk ridge, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
  • 5. NANOAFNET, iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation of South Africa, 1 Old Faure Road, Cape Town, 7129, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • 6. Physics Department, Laser Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.
  • 7. National Laser Centre, Council for Scintific & Industrial Research, Meiring Naude road, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
  • 8. LUNAM Université, Université d'Angers, 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045, Angers Cedex, France.
  • 9. CNRS UMR 6200, Laboratoire MOLTECH-Anjou, 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045, Angers Cedex, France.
  • 10. UNESCO-UNISA-iTLABS/NRF Africa Chair in Nano-Sciences & Nanotechnology, CGS, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk ridge, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. Maaza@tlabs.ac.za.
  • 11. NANOAFNET, iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation of South Africa, 1 Old Faure Road, Cape Town, 7129, Western Cape, South Africa. Maaza@tlabs.ac.za.

Description

In line with the renewed interest in developing novel Non Linear Optical (NLO) materials, natural Lycopene's NLO Properties are reported for the first time within the scientific literature. Correlated to its 1-D conjugated π-electrons linear conformation, it is shown that natural Lycopene exhibits a significantly elevated 3rd order nonlinearity χ(3) as high as 2.65 10-6 esu, the largest value of any investigated natural phyto-compound so far, including β-carotene. In addition to a saturable absorption, the corresponding observed self-defocusing effect in Lycopene seems to be the result of a thermal nonlinearity. The nonlinear response coupled to the observed fluorescence in the Visible spectral range points to a potential photodynamic therapy application as well as the possibility of engineering of novel hybrid Lycopene based NLO nano-materials.
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