Synthesis of 2D titanium carbide Ti2C, its characteristics, and nonlinear optical properties

Various scientists have widely explored two-dimensional (2D) materials to study their unique properties for a wide range of exciting opportunities in multiple fields. Among the highly investigated 2D materials, a new fast-growing family of 2D materials called MXenes has been fabricated and developed rapidly. This study offered a methodology to synthesize Ti2C using the same etching method but with two different enchants, namely, hydrofluoric acid (HF) and in situ generated HF using hydrochloric acid (HCl) and lithium fluoride (LiF) salt. The characteristics of the synthesized MXenes were studied and characterized using HRTEM, AFM, FESEM, EDX, FTIR, UV–Vis NIR, and TGA, and their nonlinear optical properties were also analyzed. The results indicate that the synthesized Ti2C–HF and Ti2C–HCl have 2D multilayered nanostructures with thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to 20 nm. EDX and FTIR results show the presence of Ti, C, and a few Al functional groups, which suggests the success of the etching process. The UV–Vis analysis shows the absorption band at about 200–250 nm. In addition, the thermal stability of both MXenes was observed, and the nonlinear optical properties of the as-synthesized MXenes were also studied. These MXenes display good potential to be applied as a saturable absorber in pulsed laser generation for future photonics applications.