Interactions between light and a molecule can result in reversible or irreversible changes in properties of both the light and the molecule. Of the many known interactions, nonlinear absorption is a process in which an intense light signal, for instance from a laser, can be moderated. This can be manifested either in a marked lowering of the light’s intensity or in reductions in fluctuations of its intensity. Such an effect is often termed ‘optical power limiting’ (OPL). High power lasers can be very dangerous since their high intensity can damage or destroy eyes and optical sensors. However, there are currently no adequate protective measures against lasers that cover the entire visible region and there is an increasing demand for new or improved OPL materials. Some of the most promising optical power limiting materials are substances that combine nonlinear optical properties with high transparency in normal light, but after activation by a laser beam, their light transmittance falls extremely rapidly via so-called self-activating mechanisms. The platinum(II) acetylides comprise one class of compounds with such properties. In this study, various OPL Pt(II) acetylides were synthesized and their nonlinear optical properties were characterized. The emphasis of the work was on preparation of the compounds, but in order to design organoplatinum chromophores for OPL, attempts were also made to obtain insight into the mechanisms of nonlinear absorption. The work was divided into two main parts. In the first the goal was to find compounds that are good optical limiters in solution. The possibility of isolating the chromophore site by dendron shielding and the effects of incorporating a thiophene ring into the organic molecular system were also explored. In addition, a new route for synthesizing these compounds was developed. The second part was focused on incorporating the most interesting compounds into solid materials. The preparation and characterization of Pt(II) acetylides with molecular groups for covalent attachment to a silica matrix via the solution gel approach is described.

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Le procédé sol-gel permet la réalisation de matériaux optiquement performants et la possibilité d’intégrer diverses molécules dans ces systèmes ouvre les portes à des applications dans de nombreux domaines. Nous nous sommes intéressés en particulier à la réalisation de matériaux sol-gel monolithiques, fortement dopés avec des molécules actives, dans le cadre de la réalisation de limiteurs optiques performants dans le visible et dans l’infrarouge.La mise au point de procédés et de matrices sol-gel compatibles avec divers types de chromophores a tout d’abord été effectuée. Une investigation des paramètres expérimentaux et de la nature des précurseurs influençant la microstructure des matériaux a été réalisée, ainsi que la mise au point de méthodes de gélification accélérée capables de piéger efficacement les chromophores dans les matrices sol-gel même à de très hautes concentrations.Le dopage des matrices obtenues avec différents chromophores pour la limitation optique dans le visible et dans l’infrarouge s’en est suivi, avec une étude de l’impact des matrices sur les propriétés optiques des dopants. L’évaluation des performances en limitation a révélé les performances exceptionnelles des systèmes étudiés dans le visible, et des résultats prometteurs pour l’infrarouge.Enfin, la synthèse de nanoparticules d’or isotropes et anisotropes et leur incorporation dans les matériaux préparés a permis de mettre en évidence des effets d’exaltation importants sur les propriétés non-linéaires des chromophores au sein des matrices sol-gel et permettent d’améliorer les performances en limitation de manière considérable. / Sol-gel chemistry is a potent approach for the realization of optical materials, and enables chromophores incorporation in materials making the soft process a gateway for many applications. In this work, we focused on monolithic sol-gel materials, heavily doped with optically active chromophores for the realization of solid-sate optical power limiting devices in the visible and near-infrared range.The elaboration and optimization of compatibles sol-gel matrices with those chromophores was the first step. An investigation of the different synthesis parameters and the nature of the precursors on the materials nanostructure were done, together with the creation of high speed gelation processes to enable the incorporation of very high chromophores contents.Using these approaches, the preparation of highly doped materials for optical power limiting in the visible and the near infrared range was successful, and the impact of the matrices on chromophores properties was studied. Evaluation of optical limiting properties of these materials revealed exceptional performance in the visible range and promising results for the NIR range.Finally, isotropic and anisotropic gold spheres were prepared and incorporated inside the materials. The resulting composites showed enhancements of the non-linear properties of the chromophores inside the matrix, and dramatic improvement of the optical power limiting efficiency was achieved.