The nonlinear optical absorption properties of Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were studied using an open-aperture Z-scan under a nanosecond pulsed laser with wavelengths of 450 nm, 510 nm, 550 nm, and 600 nm. The experimental results demonstrated that, when the laser intensity was 1.04 × 10¹³ W/m², the Au-Ag NPs showed saturated absorption (SA). When the laser intensity was increased to 3.03 × 10¹³ W/m², the switch from SA to reverse saturation absorption (RSA) occurred. The nonlinear absorption and its transformation were analyzed by using local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, bleaching of ground state plasmon, and free carrier absorption theory.

This paper aims to study the nonlinear absorption characteristics of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) at off-resonant wavelengths. For this purpose, multi-wavelength (500–650 nm) nanosecond Z-scan technique was used. The experimental results indicate that saturated absorption (SA) and the transition from SA to reverse saturated absorption (RSA) can occur, and depends on the excitation wavelength and energy. When the excitation wavelength is constant, with the increase of excitation energy, PdNPs change from SA to RSA. When the excitation energy is constant, with the excitation wavelength approaching surface plasmon resonance (SPR), PdNPs change from SA to RSA. This phenomenon of SA and RSA under multi-wavelength excitation in the off-resonant region provides a supplement for the systematic study of the nonlinear absorption of PdNPs.

In order to obtain optical nonlinear materials with high transparency and low propagation loss in the visible and infrared range, noble metal materials in the off-resonant band have become a hot spot in the optical field in recent years. Therefore, the nonlinear absorption characteristics of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) with the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in the ultraviolet band were investigated with multi-wavelength (500–700 $\mathrm{nm}$) nanosecond Z-scan technology. The measurement results showed that the SPR wavelength of PtNPs was far away from the excitation wavelength, but there were still the saturated absorption (SA) and the reverse saturated absorption (RSA) phenomena, and the size of nonlinear absorption was related to the excitation wavelength and the excitation energy. When the excitation wavelength was constant, with the increase in excitation energy, PtNPs converted from SA to RSA. When the excitation energy was constant, with the excitation wavelength approaching SPR, PtNPs also converted from SA to RSA. The SA and RSA phenomena in the off-resonant region were complementary to the systematic study of the nonlinearity of PtNPs.