MXene Ti3C2Tx as a passive Q-switcher for erbium-doped fiber laser

Abstract

A layered metal carbide/nitride known as MXene owns superior optical properties such as high optical damage tolerance, fast-optical switching capability, and excellent nonlinear transmittance property, making it a favourable SA device for a fiber laser cavity. We synthesis the MXene Ti3C2Tx using selective etching and developed two SA devices, which were MXene-film and MXene D-shaped fiber (MXene-DS). The optical properties of the as-prepared SA devices were investigated, and MXene-DS shows a significant improvement in terms of nonlinear transmittance with 3% modulation depth and 58.5% nonlinear loss. The SA devices were then incorporated into an EDFL and generated Q-switched lasers at the threshold pump power of 44 mW for MXene-film and 81 mW for MXene-DS. The MXene-film initiates a stable Q-switched with a minimum pulse width of 2.31 µs whereas, MXene-DS exhibit a pulsed laser with a minimum pulse width of 2.58 µs. MXene-DS shows excellent pulse stability at a high pumping power, making it a suitable SA device for EDFL.