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Although phosphorene has attracted much attention in electronics and optoelectronics as a new type of two-dimensional material, in-depth investigations and applications have been limited by the current synthesis techniques. Herein, a basic N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) liquid exfoliation method is described to produce phosphorene with excellent water stability, controllable size and layer number, as well as in high yield. Phosphorene samples composed of one to four layers exhibit layer-dependent Raman scattering characteristics thus providing a fast and efficient means for the in situ determination of the thickness (layer number) of phosphorene. The linear and nonlinear ultrafast absorption behavior of the as-exfoliated phosphorene is investigated systematically by UV-vis-NIR absorption and Z-scan measurements. By taking advantage of their unique nonlinear absorption, ultrashort pulse generation applicable to optical saturable absorbers is demonstrated. In addition to a unique fabrication technique, our work also reveals the large potential of phosphorene in ultrafast photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In article number 1800215, Shunbin Lu, Shixiang Xu, Han Zhang, and co‐workers demonstrate that two‐dimensional MXene exhibits strong nonlinear optical response at the visible‐light region due to the optical Kerr effect. When the laser beam passes through the MXene, the diffraction rings can be excited with spatial self‐phase modulation techniques. Moreover, the MXene is developed as the information converter to realize the modulation of pump light to probe light in an all‐optical switcher/modulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐dimensional (2D) Ti3C2Tx (T = F, O, or OH) MXene, a graphene‐like material, is successfully fabricated for an investigation in nonlinear optics. Its nonlinear refractive index (n2 ≈ 10−4 [cm2 W−1]) and third‐order nonlinear susceptibility (χ monolayer (3)≈ 10−7 [e.s.u.]) are experimentally confirmed by spatial self‐phase modulation (SSPM) techniques. Applying its strong Kerr effect, a novel all‐optical switcher based on 2D MXene is designed to realize the modulation of pump light to probe light. This indicates that MXene could act as an information converter in an optical light‐control‐light system. Meanwhile, probe light is induced by the pump light to excite diffraction rings, and the ring numbers of the probe light can be controlled to increase by the regulation of the other pump light. Through modulation of the pump light, the "ON" and "OFF" modes in the all‐optical switcher/modulator can be achieved. This work highlights the potential of Ti3C2Tx MXene materials applied in all‐optical switcher/modulators, which can be considered an important step toward MXene‐based advanced photonics devices. The nonlinear optical response of 2D Ti3C2Tx (T = F, O, or OH) MXene is investigated with spatial self‐phase modulation techniques for application in advanced photonics devices. Through modulation of the pump light, the "ON" and "OFF" modes in the MXene‐based all‐optical switcher/modulator are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]