Ultrashort pulse generation with MXene Ti3C2Tx embedded in PVA and deposited onto D-shaped fiber

• Published in: Optics and laser technology Vol. 136; p. 106780
• Main Authors: Jafry, Afiq Arif Aminuddin, Muhammad, Ahmad Razif, Kasim, Nabilah, Rosol, Ahmad Haziq Aiman, Rusdi, Muhammad Farid Mohd, Ab Alim, Nik Nurul Nazipah, Harun, Sulaiman Wadi, Yupapin, Preecha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Damage tolerance; Doped fibers; Erbium; Fiber lasers; Metal carbides; Mode locking; MXene Ti3C2Tx; MXenes; Optical properties; Passive saturable absorber; Soliton; Thin films; Ultrafast lasers; Ultrashort pulse laser; Soliton; MXene Ti3C2Tx; Ultrashort pulse laser; Passive saturable absorber
• ISSN: 0030-3992; 1879-2545
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2020.106780

•Mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser with MXene Ti3C2Tx as saturable absorber.•Two types of SA were prepared: MXene-film and MXene-D-shaped fiber.•Mode-locked was achieved with both SAs.•MXene-film and MXene-DS exhibit 1.22% and 3% modulation depth, respectively.•The pulse energy obtained was 6.03 nJ for MXene-film and 7.69 nJ for MXene-DS. A two-dimensional ternary metal carbide or/and nitride known as MXene, own countless merits in terms of electronic and optical properties. Owning to its fast optical-switching capability, strong saturable absorption, good optical damage tolerant, and gapless materials, it attracts a bunch of research efforts in an ultrafast photonics application. Here, the development of MXene-based SA devices for ultrafast laser in an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) cavity was demonstrated. Two MXene Ti3C2Tx-based SAs were prepared, which were a thin film of MXene (MXene-film) and MXene deposited onto D-shaped fiber (MXene-DS), both revealed good nonlinear transmittance properties. The selective etching was used to provide a high-quality MXene powder, and the solution-casting method produced liquid MXene, which was dried to form a thin-film structure, and the liquid MXene was deposited onto the D-shaped fiber structure. The MXene-film and MXene-DS own a modulation depth of 1.22% and 3%, respectively. Later, both SA devices were incorporated into an EDFL cavity, and MXene-film initiated mode-locked (ML) at the low threshold pump of 44 mW, while MXene-DS produce ML at the pump power of 90 mW. The MXene-film generates a 3.64 ps ML with a pulse energy of 6.03 nJ, separately, MXene-DS initiates a 4.6 ps ML with a pulse energy of 7.69 nJ, highest ever reported among MXene-based SA. This demonstration provides a pathway toward high-energy mode-locking applications in the future.