Due to their broad
applications in various industrial activities,
and their well-known negative impacts on the aquatic environment,
organic dyes have been continuously identified as serious threat to
the quality of ecosystems. The photocatalytic degradation process
in aqueous solutions has emerged as an efficient and reliable approach
for the removal of organic dyes. MXenes, a new class of two-dimensional
(2D) nanomaterials, possess unique chemical composition, surface functionalities,
and physicochemical properties. Such characteristics enable MXenes
to act as efficient catalysts or cocatalysts to photodegrade organic
molecules. This work explores the application of Ti
3
C
2
T
x
MXene decorated with silver
and palladium nanoparticles, using a simple hydrothermal treatment
method, for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB)
and rhodamine B (RhB). The chemical composition of these photocatalysts,
as well as their structural properties and morphology, was characterized
by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy
(TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS) techniques. The photocatalytic degradation abilities of the
pristine MXene and the synthesized MXene composites were investigated
under ultraviolet and solar light irradiation. A significant improvement
in the photocatalytic performances was observed for all oxidized MXene
composites when compared to pristine MXene, with a superior degradation
efficiency achieved for AgNPs/TiO
2
/Ti
3
C
2
T
x
. This work broadens the application
range of oxidized MXene composites, providing an alternative material
for degrading organics dyes and wastewater treatment applications.
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