MZI‐Based All‐Optical Modulator Using MXene Ti₃C₂T_x(T = F, O, or OH) Deposited Microfiber

Abstract

As a new class of 2D materials, MXenes have attracted a lot of interest because of their prominent performance in versatile applications, such as batteries, supercapacitors, catalysts, electronics, and optics. In this work, an all‐optical modulator using MXene Ti3C2Tx deposited on a microfiber is proposed. By inserting an MXene‐deposited phase shifter into one arm of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, the MXene Ti3C2Tx absorbs the control light and generates heat, which induces significant refractive index changes through strong light–matter interactions and thermo‐optic effects. In this study, a maximum phase shift of 16π is obtained, and an efficient all‐optical switch with an extinction ratio of more than 18.53 dB and a rise time constant of 4.10 ms are demonstrated. The advantages of this modulator include its all‐fiber content, low cost, ease of integration, and compactness. All‐optical modulators based on thermo‐optical effects will play an active role in the future of optical communications and optical information processing.

An All‐Optical, Actively Q‐Switched Fiber Laser by an Antimonene‐Based Optical Modulator

“…[26][27][28] Various physical mechanisms have been investigated to modulate optical light fully in the photonics domain. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Among these, AOMs based on the photothermal effect exhibit remarkable advantages for their large modulation depth, wide operating wavelength range, and easy implementation. Graphene, [31] transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) [32,38] and phosphorene [39] have been successfully employed in this kind of AOM because of their large photo-thermal effect.…”

Enhancement of Dye‐sensitized Solar Cells Efficiency Using Graphene Quantum Dots as Photoanode

“…[25][26][27] Previous research studies have suggested that the band gap of GQDs in the diameters of approximately 5-35 nm are less than approximately 1.0 eV. Previous theoretical study 30,31 supports such notion. Previous theoretical study 30,31 supports such notion.…”

Multifunctional and Stimuli‐Responsive Magnetic Nanoparticle‐Based Delivery Systems for Biomedical Applications

“…Currently, two main strategies are employed for the surface modification of MNPs: ligand replacement and encapsulation . Ligand replacement requires the exchange of native hydrophobic ligands on the surface of MNPs with strong anchoring groups (such as catechols, phosphonates, sulfonates, thiols, and carboxylic acids), which simultaneously introduces hydrophilic ligands on the surface of MNPs to promote dispersion in biological media 19b,22c,37.…”

“…Among various nanomaterials, superparamagnetic iron oxides nanoparticle (SPION)‐based magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have experienced increasingly wide utilization in many biomedical fields such as drug delivery, magnetic separation, diagnostic imaging, biosensors, and hyperthermia treatments . The versatility of magnetic particles depends substantially on their size, size distribution, shape, low cytotoxicity, intrinsic magnetic properties, and surface properties . Therefore, a number of MNPs have been applied in early clinical trials and have been approved by the FDA for medical imaging and therapeutic applications…”

“…For example, the design of an amphiphilic polymer ligand containing hydrophobic side chains to drive the assembly of MNPs by hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions between the hydrophobic side chains and the native hydrophobic ligands on the MNPs made the MNP‐containing assemblies more compact and safe, allowing their direct use in biological systems . MNPs must not only meet the aforementioned requirements but also overcome in vivo barriers that include persistence in the blood, poor cell uptake, and nonspecific adsorption with plasma proteins; these problems have been reviewed elsewhere 9,12a,22. Thus, the physicochemical properties of surface‐engineered ligands determine the versatility of the MNP‐based drug delivery system, which include the charge, shape, hydrophobicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and chirality .…”