Two-Dimensional Materials for Advancement of Fiber Laser Technologies

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, chalcogenides, topological insulators, black phosphorus, and MXenes have of late become the focus of intense research efforts due to the excellent and unique optoelectrical properties these materials possess. This is due to the unique properties these materials possess, such as tunable bandgaps, high mobility in the energy bandgap, third-order nonlinearity, and nonlinear absorption that can be tailored to suit the specific needs of different optical applications. These properties have allowed for the development of fiber optic-based pulsed laser systems with better integration and flexibility capabilities as well as improved performance as compared to their bulk counterparts. In this chapter, the development of optical fiber pulsed lasers that incorporate selected 2D materials, particularly 2D chalcogenides that encompass metal monochalcogenides (MMs), and traditional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and MXenes is reviewed. This chapter will cover the fundamental aspects of the aforementioned materials, the operating principles of Q-switching and mode-locking, and the configuration of these 2D materials as saturable absorbers (SAs). The main section of this chapter will focus on the current status of the development of Q-switched and mode-locked optical fiber laser systems using 2D material-based SAs. Finally, the chapter will explore the perspectives and challenges on the future of the potential applications of these 2D materials in pulsed optical systems.