MXene-coated quartz tuning fork for sensitive light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy (LITES) is a sensitive technique for gas analysis.
• Enhancing the sensitivity of LITES is crucial for detecting trace gases and enabling multi-gas measurements.
• Quartz tuning forks (QTFs) are commonly used as transducers in LITES systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a customized quartz tuning fork (QTF) coated with a titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene film.
• To investigate the impact of the MXene film on the performance of LITES.
• To enhance the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of LITES for improved gas detection.

Main Methods:

• A customized QTF was coated with a Ti3C2Tx MXene film at its root.
• The effect of the MXene film on the QTF's resonance frequency, bandwidth, quality factor, and signal amplitude was analyzed.
• The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the light-induced thermoelastic signal was measured with varying MXene film thicknesses.
• The absorption coefficient of the MXene film was measured in the 1260 nm to 1680 nm range.

Main Results:

• The MXene film coating had minimal impact on the QTF's fundamental flexural mode parameters.
• An optimal MXene film thickness of 1.9 µm resulted in an SNR enhancement of up to 8.7 times.
• Similar SNR enhancements were observed at overtone frequencies, though the fundamental frequency yielded a higher SNR.
• The MXene film exhibited an absorption coefficient greater than 92% in the measured wavelength range.

Conclusions:

• The Ti3C2Tx MXene film effectively enhances the sensitivity of LITES.
• The optimized MXene-coated QTF offers a promising approach for highly sensitive gas measurements.
• This technology holds potential for advanced multi-gas detection systems.