Ti2CTx MXene as a Saturable Absorber for Passively Q-Switched Solid-State Lasers

In this work, we successfully fabricated a transmissive saturable absorber (SA) with Ti2CTx MXene using the spin-coating method. By inserting the Ti2CTx saturable absorber into the diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) Nd:YAG laser, a stable passively Q-switched operation was obtained near 1.06 mu m. At a pump power of 4.5 W, we obtained the shortest pulse duration of 163 ns with a repetition rate of 260 kHz. The corresponding single pulse energy and peak pulse power were 3.638 mu J and 22.3 W, respectively. The slope efficiency and the optical conversion efficiency of the laser were 21% and 25.5%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Ti2CTx was used in the passively Q-switched solid-state lasers. This work demonstrates that Ti2CTx can be a promising saturable absorber for solid-state laser pulse generation.

Automated summary

A transmissive saturable absorber (SA) with Ti2CTx MXene was successfully fabricated using the spin-coating method and integrated into a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) Nd:YAG laser for stable passively Q-switched operation. The laser achieved a shortest pulse duration of 163 ns and high slope efficiency and optical conversion efficiency at a pump power of 4.5 W. This work demonstrates the potential of Ti2CTx as a saturable absorber for solid-state laser pulse generation.