A new microporous MIL-100(Fe)/Ti3C2 MXene composite was constructed as a non-noble
metal-based Schottky junction photocatalyst with improved nitrogen
fixation ability. Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets exhibited
excellent metal conductivity and were employed as two-dimensional
support to optimize the composite’s energy band structure.
MIL-100(Fe) with a large specific surface area was used as an adsorbent
and a photocatalytic oxidation center. The MIL-100(Fe)/Ti3C2 MXene composite not only exhibited higher thermal stability
but also showed significantly increased nitrogen fixation activity
under visible light. The NO conversion rate of the composite catalyst
was about four and three times higher than that of the pure Ti3C2 MXene and the pure MIL-100(Fe) samples, respectively.
Although adsorption plays an important role in the nitrogen fixation
process, the synergistic effects of the Schottky junctions are the
main cause of the enhanced photocatalytic activity. The built-in electric
field can be generated to form charge-transfer channels, which help
to achieve a desirable photocatalytic activity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.