Graphene-polyvinyl alcohol polymer based saturable absorption at 2000 nm region

Nabihah Hussin (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Asrul Izam Azmi (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Mohd Rashidi Salim (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Muhammad Yusof Mohd Noor (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Ahmad Sharmi Abdullah (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Michael David (Federal University of Technology)
Fauzan Ahmad (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)
Mohd Haniff Ibrahim (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia)

Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Vol 27, No 2: August 2022

A graphene-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite saturable absorption is demonstrated at 2000 nm region. Graphene suspension is produced using low-cost electrochemical exfoliation process. The suspension is mixed with PVA host polymer in 1:1 ratio and left evaporated at room temperature which finally produced graphene-PVA thin film. Thulium doped fiber (TDF) gain medium has been shown to produce a stable Q-switched pulse with a highest repetition rate of 54 kHz, a short pulse duration of 2.89 µs, a maximum peak power of 16 mW, and an estimated maximum pulse energy of 49 nJ. Apparently, at 2000 nm region, superior performances of graphene-PVA composite have been recorded which was largely contributed by meticulous composite preparation and homogenous mixture with PVA host.