Ti2AlC-based saturable absorber for passive Q-switching of a fiber laser

We report the feasibility of a MAX-phase material for implementation as a saturable absorber. Our saturable absorber was fabricated as a composite of Ti2AlC particles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using a sandwich-structured fiber-ferrule platform. The saturation intensity and modulation depth of the prepared SA were measured at ∼31.5 MW/cm2 and ∼6.3%, respectively. Using the Ti2AlC/PVA composite-based SA within an erbium-doped fiber laser ring cavity, stable Q-switched pulses were readily obtained at a wavelength of 1.56 µm. This experimental demonstration unveils the potential of micrometer-sized MAX-phase particles for implementation as low-cost, practical, saturable absorbers.