SnO-SnO2 modified two-dimensional MXene Ti3C2Tx for acetone gas sensor working at room temperature

Acetone,as widely used reagents in industry and laboratories,are extremely harmful to the human.So the detection of acetone gas concentrations and leaks in special environments at room temperature is essential.Herein,the nanocomposite combining SnO-SnO2 (p-n junction) and Ti3C2Tx MXene was successfully synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method.Because of the existence of a small amount of oxygen during the hydrothermal conditions,part of the p-type SnO was oxidized to n-type SnO2,forming in-situ p-n junctions on the surface of SnO.The hamburger-like SnO-SnO2/Ti3C2Tx sensor exhibited improved acetone gas sensing response of 12.1 (Rg/Ra) at room temperature,which were nearly 11 and 4 times higher than those of pristine Ti3C2Tx and pristine SnO-SnO2,respectively.Moreover,it expressed a short recovery time (9 s) and outstanding reproducibility.Because of the different work functions,the Schottky barrier was formed between the SnO and the Ti3C2Tx nanosheets,acting as a hole accumulation layer (HALs) between Ti3C2Tx and tin oxides.Herein,the sensing mechanism based on the formation of hetero-junctions and high conductivity of the metallic phase of Ti3C2Tx MXene in SnO-SnO2/Ti3C2Tx sensors was discussed in detail.     

Fe~(3+) -stabilized Ti_3C_2T_x MXene enables ultrastable Li-ion storage at low temperature

It is highly important to develop ultrastable electrode materials for Li-ion batteries(LIBs),especially in the low temperature.Herein,we report Fe³⁺-stabilized Ti₃C₂T_x MXene(donated as T/F-4:1)as the anode material,which exhibits an ultrastable low-temperature Li-ion storage property(135.2 m A h g^-1after300 cycles under the current density of 200 m A g^-1at-10℃),compared with the negligible capacity for the pure Ti₃C₂T_x MXene(26 m A h g^-1at 200 m A g^-1).We characterized as-made T/F samples via the Xray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transformed infrared(FT-IR)and Raman spectroscopy,and found that the terminated functional groups(-O and-OH)in T/F are Li⁺ storage sites.Fe³⁺-stabilization makes-O/-OH groups in MXene interlayers become active towards Li⁺,leading to much more active sites and thus an enhanced capacity and well cyclic stability.In contrast,only-O/-OH groups on the top and bottom surfaces of pure Ti₃C₂T_x MXene can be used to adsorb Li⁺,resulting in a low capacity.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and XPS data confirm that T/F-4:1 holds the highly stable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)layer during the cycling at-10℃.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations further uncover that T/F has fast diffusion of Li⁺ and consequent better electrochemical performances than pure Ti₃C₂T_x MXene.It is believed that the new strategy used here will help to fabricate advanced MXene-based electrode materials in the energy storage application.     

Metallic MXene Saturable Absorber for Femtosecond Mode‐Locked Lasers

2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitides called MXenes have attracted much attention due to their outstanding properties. However, MXene's potential in laser technology is not explored. It is demonstrated here that Ti₃CN, one of MXene compounds, can serve as an excellent mode‐locker that can produce femtosecond laser pulses from fiber cavities. Stable laser pulses with a duration as short as 660 fs are readily obtained at a repetition rate of 15.4 MHz and a wavelength of 1557 nm. Density functional theory calculations show that Ti₃CN is metallic, in contrast to other 2D saturable absorber materials reported so far to be operative for mode‐locking. 2D structural and electronic characteristics are well conserved in their stacked form, possibly due to the unique interlayer coupling formed by MXene surface termination groups. Noticeably, the calculations suggest a promise of MXenes in broadband saturable absorber applications due to metallic characteristics, which agrees well with the experiments of passively Q‐switched lasers using Ti₃CN at wavelengths of 1558 and 1875 nm. This study provides a valuable strategy and intuition for the development of nanomaterial‐based saturable absorbers opening new avenues toward advanced photonic devices based on MXenes.     

Fabrication, characterization and mode locking application of single-walled carbon nanotube/polymer composite saturable absorbers

We present the fabrication of a high optical quality single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film. The composites demonstrate strong saturable absorption at ～1.5 μm, the spectral range for optical communications. By measuring the nonlinear transmission of a sub-picosecond pump pulse through the film, we were able to deduce a saturation fluence of ～13.9 μJ/cm² and a modulation depth ～16.9% (in absorption) at a high pulse fluence ～200 μJ/cm². Transient saturable absorption is investigated by measuring the transmitted autocorrelation traces at various incident power levels. Observed side-peak suppression indicates a fast recovery time on the scale of ～1 ps for our saturable absorber devices. Furthermore, we use these SWNT-PVA composite saturable absorbers as mode-lockers in an Er³⁺ fiber ring laser and achieve ～560 fs pulse generation with good jitter performance and long term stability. The laser performance is also associated with the parameters of our SWNT based saturable absorber.     

Optimization of doubly Q-switched lasers with both an acousto-optic modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber

A doubly Q-switched laser with both an acousto-optic (AO) modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber can obtain a more symmetric and shorter pulse with high pulse peak power, which has been experimentally proved. The key parameters of an optimally coupled doubly Q-switched laser with both an AO modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber are determined, and a group of general curves are generated for what we believe is the first time, when the single-photon absorption (SPA) and two-photon absorption (TPA) processes of GaAs are combined, and the Gaussian spatial distributions of the intracavity photon density and the initial population-inversion density as well as the influence of the AO Q-switch are considered. These key parameters include the optimal normalized coupling parameter, the optimal normalized GaAs saturable absorber parameters, and the normalized parameters of the AO Q-switch, which can maximize the output energy. Meanwhile, the corresponding normalized energy, the normalized peak power, and the normalized pulse width are given. The curves clearly show the dependence of the optimal key parameters on the parameters of the gain medium, the GaAs saturable absorber, the AO Q-switch, and the resonator. Sample calculations for a diode-pumped Nd3+:YVO4 laser with both an AO modulator and a GaAs saturable absorber are presented to demonstrate the use of the curves and the relevant formulas.     

A New Memristor with 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene Flakes as an Artificial Bio‐Synapse

Two‐dimensional (2D) materials have attracted extensive research interest in academia due to their excellent electrochemical properties and broad application prospects. Among them, 2D transition metal carbides (Ti₃C₂T_x) show semiconductor characteristics and are studied widely. However, there are few academic reports on the use of 2D MXene materials as memristors. In this work, reported is a memristor based on MXene Ti₃C₂T_x flakes. After electroforming, Al/Ti₃C₂T_x/Pt devices exhibit repeatable resistive switching (RS) behavior. More interestingly, the resistance of this device can be continuously modulated under the pulse sequence with 10 ns pulse width, and the pulse width of 10 ns is much lower than that in other reported work. Moreover, on the nanosecond scale, the transition from short‐term plasticity to long‐term plasticity is achieved. These two properties indicate that this device is favorable for ultrafast biological synapse applications and high‐efficiency training of neural networks. Through the exploration of the microstructure, Ti vacancies and partial oxidation are proposed as the origins of the physical mechanism of RS behavior. This work reveals that 2D MXene Ti₃C₂T_x flakes have excellent potential for use in memristor devices, which may open the door for more functions and applications.     

Passively Q-Switched Yb:YAG Laser with Cr(4+):YAG as the Saturable Absorber

By using a continuous-wave Ti:sapphire laser as a pumping source, we demonstrated a passively Q-switched Yb:YAG laser at room temperature with Cr(4+):YAG as the saturable absorber. We achieved an average output power of as much as 55 mW at 1.03 mum with a pulse width (FWHM) as short as 350 ns. The initial transmission of the Cr(4+):YAG has an effect on the pulse duration (FWHM) and the repetition rate of the Yb:YAG passively Q-switched laser. The Yb:YAG crystal can be a most promising passively Q-switched laser crystal for compact, efficient, solid-state lasers.     

Passively Q-Switched Diode-Pumped Continuous-Wave Nd:YAG-Cr(4+):YAG Laser with High Peak Power and High Pulse Energy

A high peak power and high pulse energy passively Q-switched diode-pumped cw Nd:YAG laser at 1.064-mum wavelength has been demonstrated with Cr(4+):YAG crystal as the saturable absorber. The average output power of 7-12 W and pulse duration of 100-250 ns was obtained with kilohertz repetition rates. The highest peak power and pulse energy obtained were 30 kW and 3.4 mJ, respectively. All the output resulted from the TEM(00) mode with M(2) < 1.1. The thermal lensing effect of the saturable absorber was investigated, demonstrating that it played an important role in optimization of the output.     

Efficient quasi-continuous-wave and passively Q-switched laser operation of a Nd3+:BaGd2(MoO4)4 cleavage plate

Pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser at 807 nm, efficient quasi-cw and passively Q-switched laser operations have been realized from a 1.1 mm thick, 1.2 at. % Nd(3+):BaGd(2)(MoO(4))(4) cleavage plate in a plano-plano cavity. When the absorbed pump power was 1060 mW, the achieved maximum quasi-cw output power was 580 mW. The slope efficiency and absorbed pump threshold power were 60% and 50 mW, respectively. Using a Cr(4+):YAG crystal with an initial transmission of 85% as the saturable absorber, a pulse laser with 3.0 microJ energy, 30 ns duration, and 52 kHz repetition rate has been obtained when the absorbed pump power was 1060 mW. The polarization characteristic and laser spectra of both the quasi-cw and passively Q-switched lasers have been measured.     

Optimization of peak power of doubly Q-switched lasers with both an acousto-optic modulator and a Cr4+-doped saturable absorber

A doubly Q-switched laser can obtain a shorter pulse with a stable repetition rate and high pulse peak power, which has been experimentally proved. By taking into account the Gaussian spatial distributions of the intracavity photon density and the initial population-inversion density as well as the influence of the acousto-optic (AO) Q switch, we introduce the coupled rate equations for a doubly Q-switched laser with both an AO modulator and a Cr(4+)-doped saturable absorber. These coupled rate equations are solved numerically. The key parameters of an optimally coupled doubly Q-switched laser are determined based on maximizing the peak power, which include the optimal normalized coupling parameter, the optimal normalized saturable absorber parameters, and the normalized parameters of the AO Q switch. The optimal normalized peak power, the corresponding normalized energy, and the normalized pulse width are also given, and a group of general curves are generated for the first time to our knowledge. The curves can give us a good understanding of the dependence of the optimal key parameters on the parameters of the gain medium, the saturable absorber, the AO Q switch, the resonator, and the spatial distributions of the intracavity photon density. The optimal calculations for a diode-pumped Nd(3+):YVO(4) laser with both an AO modulator and a Cr(4+):YAG saturable absorber are presented to demonstrate the use of the curves and the related formulas.     

Photocatalytic H2 Evolution on TiO2 Assembled with Ti3C2 MXene and Metallic 1T-WS2 as Co-catalysts

The biggest challenging issue in photocatalysis is efficient separation of the photoinduced carriers and the aggregation of photoexcited electrons on photocatalyst’s surface.In this paper,we report that double metallic co-catalysts Ti3C2 MXene and metallic octahedral(1T)phase tungsten disulfide(WS2)act pathways transferring photoexcited electrons in assisting the photocatalytic H2 evolution.TiO2 nanosheets were in situ grown on highly conductive Ti3C2 MXenes and 1T-WS2 nanoparticles were then uniformly distributed on TiO2@Ti3C2 composite.Thus,a distinctive 1T-WS2@TiO2@Ti3C2 composite with double metallic co-catalysts was achieved,and the content of 1T phase reaches 73%.The photocatalytic H2 evolution performance of 1T-WS2@TiO2@Ti3C2 composite with an optimized 15 wt%WS2 ratio is nearly 50 times higher than that of TiO2 nanosheets because of conductive Ti3C2 MXene and 1T-WS2 resulting in the increase of electron transfer efficiency.Besides,the 1T-WS2 on the surface of TiO2@Ti3C2 composite enhances the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and boosts the density of active site.     

Watt-level Q-switched Nd:LuVO4 laser based on a graphene oxide saturable absorber

The demonstration is reported of a diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:LuVO₄ laser at 1064 nm using a transmission-type graphene oxide as the saturable absorber. The graphene oxide saturable absorber with a modulation depth of 10% was fabricated using a vertical evaporation method. With a pump of 11.5 W, a maximum output power of 1.353 W was obtained with 186-ns pulse duration and 336.7-kHz repetition rate, corresponding to a maximum pulse energy of 4 μJ per pulse.     

Designed synthesis of chlorine and nitrogen co-doped Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots and their outstanding hydroxyl radical scavenging properties

As a novel zero-dimensional(0D)material,metal carbides and/or carbonitrides(MXenes)quantum dots(MQDs)show unique photoluminescence properties and excellent biocompatibility.However,due to the limited synthesis methods and research to date,many new features have yet to be uncovered.Here,to explore their new properties and expand biological applications,chlorine and nitrogen co-doped Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots(Cl,N-Ti3C2 MQDs)were designed and synthesized,and their hydroxyl radical scavenging properties were investigated for the first time,revealing outstanding performance.Cl,N-Ti3C2 MQDs was directly stripped from bulk Ti3 AlC2 by electrochemical etching,while N and Cl are successfully introduced to carbon skeleton and Ti boundaries in the etching process by electrochemical reactions between selected electrolytes and Ti3C2 skeleton,respectively.The obtained Cl,N-Ti3C2 MQDs exhibit large surface-to-volume ratio due to small particle size(ca.3.45 nm)and excellent higher scavenging activity(93.3％)and lower usage(12.5 μg/mL)towards hydroxyl radicals than the previous reported graphene-based nanoparticles.The underlying mechanism of scavenging activity was also studied based on the reduction experiment with potassium permanganate(KMnO4).The reducing ability of the intrinsic Ti3C2 structure and electron donation of double dopants are the main contributors to the outstanding scavenging activity.     

Graphene oxide saturable absorber on golden reflective film for Tm:YAP Q-switched mode-locking laser at 2 μm

A diode-pumped Tm:YAlO₃ (Tm:YAP), solid-state Q-switched mode-locking (QML) laser was achieved for the first time by using a graphene oxide saturable absorber on gold reflective film. A pulse width for mode-locking inside the Q-switch envelope of 2?ns with a repetition rate of 156.25?MHz has been obtained at the central wavelength of 1973?nm (32?nm full width at half maximum). The measured maximum average output power amounts to 464 mW under an incident pump power of 9.52?W. By using graphene oxide saturable absorber on golden reflective film instead of the tail end cavity mirror, we not only achieved a broadened spectral region 2?µm laser, but also deepened the modulation of the QML.     

Deposition,structure and hardness of Ti–Cu–N hard films prepared by pulse biased arc ion plating

In this work, Ti–Cu–N hard nanocomposite films were deposited on 304 stainless steel (SS) substrate by using pulse biased arc ion plating system with Ti–Cu alloy target. The effects of negative substrate pulse bias voltages on chemical composition, structure, morphology and mechanical properties were investigated. The composition and structure of these films was found to be dependent on the pulse bias, whereas the pulse biases put little influence on hardness of these films. The XPS spectra of Cu 2p showed that obtained peak values correspond to pure metallic Cu. Cu content in Ti–Cu–N nanocomposite films changed with pulse bias voltage. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis showed that a pronounced TiN (111) texture is observed under low pulse bias voltage while it changed to TiN (220) orientation under high pulse bias voltage. Surface roughness of the Ti–Cu–N nanocomposite films achieved to the minimum value of 0.11 μm with the negative pulse bias voltage of ?600 V. The average grain size of TiN was less than 17 nm. The mechanical properties of Ti–Cu–N hard films investigated by nanoindentation revealed that the hardness was about 22–24 GPa and the hardness enhancement was not obtained.     

Deposition,structure and hardness of Ti–Cu–N hard films prepared by pulse biased arc ion plating

In this work, Ti–Cu–N hard nanocomposite films were deposited on 304 stainless steel (SS) substrate by using pulse biased arc ion plating system with Ti–Cu alloy target. The effects of negative substrate pulse bias voltages on chemical composition, structure, morphology and mechanical properties were investigated. The composition and structure of these films was found to be dependent on the pulse bias, whereas the pulse biases put little influence on hardness of these films. The XPS spectra of Cu 2p showed that obtained peak values correspond to pure metallic Cu. Cu content in Ti–Cu–N nanocomposite films changed with pulse bias voltage. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis showed that a pronounced TiN (111) texture is observed under low pulse bias voltage while it changed to TiN (220) orientation under high pulse bias voltage. Surface roughness of the Ti–Cu–N nanocomposite films achieved to the minimum value of 0.11 μm with the negative pulse bias voltage of −600 V. The average grain size of TiN was less than 17 nm. The mechanical properties of Ti–Cu–N hard films investigated by nanoindentation revealed that the hardness was about 22–24 GPa and the hardness enhancement was not obtained.     

Passively Q-switched erbium-doped fibre laser using cobalt oxide nanocubes as a saturable absorber

We demonstrate a Q-switched Erbium-doped fibre laser (EDFL) utilizing cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) nanocubes film based saturable absorber (SA) as a passive Q-switcher. Co₃O₄ nanocubes are embedded into a polyethylene oxide film to produce a high nonlinear optical response, which is useful for SA application. It has saturation intensity and modulation depth of 3 MW/cm² and 0.35%, respectively. The proposed laser cavity successfully generates a stable pulse train where the pulse repetition rate is tunable from 29.8 to 70.92 kHz and the pulse-width reduces from 10.9 to 5.02 μs as the 980 nm pump power increases. This result indicates that the Co₃O₄ is excellent for constructing an SA that can be used in producing a passively Q-switched fibre laser operating at a low pump intensity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Co₃O₄ film based fibre laser.     

Diode-Pumped Er-Yb:Glass Laser Passively Q Switched by Use of Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) as a Saturable Absorber

We report on passively Q-switched operation of a diode-pumped Er-Yb:glass laser with a Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) plate as a saturable absorber. Optical pulses with peak power exceeding 2 kW and a pulse length of 2.3 ns have been generated. Single-longitudinal-mode Q-switched operation at 1.53 mum has been obtained by use of the Co(2+):MgAl(2)O(4) plate as an intracavity etalon. A discussion of the optimal Er(3+) concentration as well as optimization of the cavity design is included.     

A highly efficient graphene oxide absorber for Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 lasers

We demonstrated that graphene oxide material could be used as a highly efficient saturable absorber for the Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser. A novel and low-cost graphene oxide (GO) absorber was fabricated by a vertical evaporation technique and high viscosity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution. A piece of GO/PVA absorber, a piece of round quartz, and an output coupler mirror were combined to be a sandwich structure passive component. Using such a structure, 104 ns pulses and 1.22 W average output power were obtained with the maximum pulse energy at 2 μJ and a slope efficiency of 17%.     

Modelocked integrated external-cavity surface emitting laser

A modelocked integrated external-cavity surface emitting laser (MIXSEL) is a novel type of ultrafast semiconductor laser that integrates a saturable absorber directly into a vertical external cavity surfaceemitting laser. The saturable absorber requirements and integration challenges to obtain self-starting and stable pulse formation are discussed. One single quantum dot absorber layer was optimised for this application. Since the first feasibility demonstration of an optically pumped MIXSEL, the authors have further improved the average output power to 185 mW with 32 ps pulses at around 3 GHz pulse repetition rate at a centre wavelength of ∼957 nm. The authors analyse and discuss the challenges for further power scaling and pulse shortening. The MIXSEL concept appears suitable for cost-efficient wafer-scale mass production when the external cavity is defined by a transparent wafer into which the curved output coupler can be etched. The semiconductor MIXSEL structure would then be glued to such a transparent wafer. The potential for electrically pumped MIXSELs will make this laser technology even more attractive.