An R2O–B2O3–SiO2 (R = Li, Na, K) polarizing glass containing Ag nanorods is prepared by thermal elongation–reduction technology. The transverse and longitudinal plasmon absorption peaks of the embedded Ag nanorods are near 460 and 720 nm, respectively. When the polarization of the laser is parallel to the long axis of the Ag nanorods, the nonlinear absorption coefficient β = 0.82 cm GW–1 and the nonlinear refractive index n2 = –1.5 × 10–4 cm2 GW–1. When the polarization of light is perpendicular to the long axis of the Ag nanorods β = 0.12 cm GW–1 and n2 = –7.2 × 10–5 cm2 GW–1 and the appropriate one‐ and two‐photon figures of merit (FOM), W = 1.6 and T = 0.16, respectively, are obtained, which satisfies the demand, W > 1 and T < 1, for applications in all optical switching, where W is a one‐photon FOM, and T is a two‐photon FOM.

A series of Ag/titanium oxide composite films with Ag atom concentration of 28%–82% were prepared by cosputtering technique. The scanning electron microscopy and the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal that metallic Ag nanoparticles with a size of 20–50nm disperse in titanium oxide. The plasmon resonance absorption peak of the embedded Ag nanoparticles shifts to about 860nm at Ag atom concentration of 42%, the nonlinear absorption coefficient βeff and the nonlinear refractive index γ are −1.4×105cm∕GW and 3.8cm2∕GW, respectively, which were measured by the Z-scan technique at 790nm with a peak irradiance of 1.8GW∕cm2. The corresponding third-order susceptibility χ(3) is about 4.7×10−7esu.

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