Investigation of charge carrier dynamics in Ti3C2Tx MXene for ultrafast photonics applications

TL;DR

This study investigates how process parameters, especially centrifuge speed, influence the structural, optical, and charge carrier dynamics of Ti3C2Tx MXene for ultrafast photonics, revealing key relationships between synthesis conditions and material performance.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how centrifuge speed affects the charge carrier lifetime and optical properties of Ti3C2Tx MXene, aiding in optimizing its use in ultrafast photonics.

Findings

Higher centrifuge speed shortens carrier lifetime.

Optical decay times are around 5 ns, influenced by centrifuge speed.

Faster decay at 10k rpm indicates improved luminescence properties.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of nanomaterials has paved the way for various technological breakthroughs, and MXenes, in particular, have gained substantial attention due to their unique properties such as high conductivity, broad-spectrum absorption strength, and tunable band gap. This article presents the impact of the process parameters on the structural and optical properties of Ti3C2Tx MXene for application in ultrafast dynamics. XRD along with Raman spectroscopy studies, confirmed the synthesis of a single phase from their MAX phase Ti3AlC2. The complete etching of Al and increase in the interplanar distance is also observed on centrifugation at very high speed. The ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy used to understand the effect of centrifuge speed on the charge carrier dynamics and ultrafast spectrum of MXene displayed that the carrier lifetime is critically influenced by rotation per minute (rpm) e.g. faster decay lifetime at 10k rpm than 7k rpm. The electronic relaxation probed using the time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) technique exhibits an average decay time of 5.13 ns and 5.35 ns at the 7k and 10k rpm, respectively, which confirms that the optical properties of the MXene are strongly affected by the centrifuge speed. The synthesized MXene at 10k rpm typically suggests that radiative processes due to longer decay lifetime and experiences fewer nonradiative losses, resulting in enhanced luminescence properties.