We report the fabrication of an erbium-doped fiber-based saturable absorber (SA) of niobium aluminium carbide (Nb₂AlC) nanomaterial that can generate a dissipative soliton mode-locked pulse. Stable mode-locked pulses operating at 1530 nm with repetition rates of 1 MHz and pulse widths of 6.375 ps were produced using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and the Nb2AlC nanomaterial. A peak pulse energy of 7.43 nJ was measured at 175.87 mW pump power. In addition to providing some useful design suggestions for manufacturing SAs based on MAX phase materials, this work shows the MAX phase materials’ immense potential for making ultra-short laser pulses.

The viability of using Niobium Aluminum Carbide (Nb2AlC) as a saturable absorber (SA) for Q-switched pulse production utilized in erbium arrangement is reported in this research. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and the MAX phase material Nb2AlC were successfully mixed to create a SA film, which was then placed between two fiber ferrules and inserted into the cavity. Steady Q-switched pulses at 1531 nm with a maximum repetition rate of 58.21 kHz and a minimum pulse width of 3.82 s were seen after raising the pumping power from 45.45 to 81.97 mW. The highest pulse energy was measured to be 42.26 nJ at a pump power of 81.97 mW. These findings show that Nb2AlC MAX-phase material can be used to make SAs that are both useful and affordable.

Fiber laser generation is widely studied for applications in telecommunications and industrial processes, yet enhancing laser performance, especially with effective saturable absorbers (SAs), remains a challenge. This research focuses on using MXene V₂CTx film as a saturable absorber to generate Q-switched fiber lasers. A passive fiber laser was developed using a solution casting method to fabricate the MXene V₂CTx SA. When pump power was increased from 50.66 to 149.79 mW, stable Q-switched pulses at 1530 nm were achieved, with a maximum repetition rate of 93.41 kHz, a pulse width of 3.24 µs, and a pulse energy of 48.82 nJ. These findings demonstrate that MXene V₂CTx is effective in producing stable Q-switched fiber lasers, offering potential for enhanced laser performance in various applications.