2D-material nanocomposites with nonlinear optical properties for laser protection

Abstract: Lasers are increasingly used for a wide range of different applications for both civil and military purposes. Due to the distinct properties of laser light, use of lasers often comes with a risk of damage to the human eye and other optical sensors. Therefore, an effective laser protection is needed. 2D-materials is a relatively new class of materials, which have shown to possess many unique properties compared to its bulk counterparts. Some 2D-materials exhibit nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and specifically optical power limiting (OPL) effects, and have therefore been researched for laser protection applications. In this work, two different 2D-materials, MXene Ti3C2 and graphene oxide (GO), have been combined with a hybrid organic-inorganic polymer, a so called melting gel (MG), to synthesise nanocomposites possessing OPL effects for laser protection applications. Different methods of incorporating the 2D-materials in the polymer matrix as well as the effect on optical properties of different concentrations of 2D-materials were investigated. The prepared nanocomposites were characterised using optical microscopy, spectroscopy and OPL measurements in order to investigate and quantify their linear and nonlinear optical properties. The MG was optically clear, mechanically stable and easy to synthesise, which makes it a suitable candidate as a matrix for a laser protection nanocomposite. Additionally, it was possible to dope the MG with the two different 2D-materials to create nanocomposites showing desirable optical properties in the visible spectrum. However, many samples showed signs of clustered 2D-particles indicating that the dispersion could be improved. Finally, OPL measurements, performed at 532 nm, showed that the MG itself exhibited OPL effects, both 2D-materials showed a stronger OPL effect than the non-doped MG and that GO-doped samples gave a better protection than the MXene samples.