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Graphene–Polymer Nanofiber Membrane for Ultrafast Photonics
Author(s) -
Bao Qiaoliang,
Zhang Han,
Yang Jiaxiang,
Wang Shuai,
Tang Ding Yuan,
Jose Rajan,
Ramakrishna Seeram,
Lim Chwee Teck,
Loh Kian Ping
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200901658
Subject(s) - materials science , graphene , nanocomposite , electrospinning , carbon nanotube , nanofiber , polymer nanocomposite , polymer , laser , surface modification , photonics , ultrashort pulse , saturable absorption , nanotechnology , fiber laser , optoelectronics , fiber , composite material , chemical engineering , optics , physics , engineering
A freestanding membrane composed of a nanofiber network of a graphene–polymer nanocomposite is fabricated by electrospinning and applied as an optical element in fiber lasers. The functionalization of graphene with conjugated organic molecules provides a handle for improving mechanical and thermal properties as well as tuning the optical properties. A small loading (0.07 wt%) of functionalized graphene enhances the total optical absorption of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) by 10 times. The electrospun graphene–polymer nanocomposites exhibit wideband saturable absorbance for laser pulse shaping, and attain a larger modulation depth and smaller nonsaturable loss than single‐walled carbon nanotubes. The results show that electrospun graphene nanocomposites are promising candidates as practical and efficient photonic materials for the generation of ultrashort pulses in fiber lasers.