Publication details

Photocatalytic removal of benzene over Ti3C2Tx MXene and TiO2-MXene composite materials under solar and NIR irradiation

Authors

SERGIIENKO Sergii A. TOBALDI David M. LAJAUNIE Luc LOPES Daniela V. CONSTANTINESCU Gabriel SHAULA Aliaksandr L. SHCHERBAN Nataliya D. SHKEPU Viacheslav Igorevich CALVINO José J. FRADE Jorge R. LABRINCHA Joao A. KOVALEVSKY Andrei V.

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Journal of Materials Chemistry C
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/tc/d1tc03826e
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1tc03826e
Keywords DEGRADATION; TIO2; MECHANISM; PHOTOCHROMISM; TI3ALC2; DESIGN; VAPOR
Description MXenes, a family of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides based on earth-abundant constituents, are prospective candidates for energy conversion applications, including photocatalysis. While the activity of individual MXenes towards various photocatalytic processes is still debatable, these materials were proved to be excellent co-catalysts, accelerating the charge separation and suppressing the exciton recombination. Titanium-containing MXenes are well compatible with the classical TiO2 photocatalyst. The TiO2 component can be directly grown on MXene sheets by in situ oxidation, representing a mainstream processing approach for such composites. In this study, an essentially different approach has been implemented: a series of TiO2-MXene composite materials with controlled composition and both reference end members were prepared, involving two different strategies for mixing sol-gel-derived TiO2 nanopowder with the Ti3C2Tx component, which was obtained by HF etching of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis products containing modified MAX phase Ti3C2Alz (z > 1) with nominal aluminium excess. The prospects of such composites for the degradation of organic pollutants under simulated solar light, using benzene as a model system, were demonstrated and analysed in combination with their structural, microstructural and optical properties. A notable photocatalytic activity of bare MXene under near infrared light was discovered, suggesting further prospects for light-to-energy harvesting spanning from UV-A to NIR and applications in biomedical imaging and sensors.

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