Review on MXene/TiO2 nanohybrids for photocatalytic hydrogen production and pollutant degradations

MXene-Based Photocatalysts in Degradation of Organic and Pharmaceutical Pollutants

“…In this context, MXenes with distinctive lamellar structures and remarkable conductivity can be applied as nano-adsorbents to remediate environmentally toxic pollutants, and also as co-catalysts for improving photocatalytic degradation potential of the other composites in their photocatalytic performances [ 13 , 64 ]; several studies have focused on photocatalytic degradation of dyes, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical pollutants. For instance, MXene/TiO 2 nanocomposites were constructed for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants [ 65 ]. In one study, MXene (Ti 3 C 2 ) nanosheets decorated with copper sulfide (CuS) particles were fabricated using a hydrothermal treatment technique to enhance the catalytic persulfate activation under light, showing excellent reactivity for rapid elimination of Orange II; the CuS@MXene composites exhibited high stability even after 4 cycles of reusability evaluation [ 66 ].…”

Interfacial Solid-State Mediator-Based Z-Scheme Heterojunction TiO2@Ti3C2/MgIn2S4 Microflower for Efficient Photocatalytic Pharmaceutical Micropollutant Degradation and Hydrogen Generation: Stability, Kinetics, and Mechanistic Insights

“…Interestingly, MXene, a new series of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and/or nitrides and/or carbonitrides, have been elaborately investigated in the direction of energy storage, environment remediation, electromagnetic shielding, and biomedical fields because of their extraordinary physical and chemical properties. − Especially, titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 ) is the most studied layered 2D MXene, which can be easily achieved by selectively etching the Al layers from MAX-phase Ti 3 AlC 2 . Because of the fascinating intrinsic characters such as large specific surface area, metallic conductivity, flexible elemental composition, abundant termination groups, and low Fermi level, the Ti 3 C 2 MXene displays remarkable potential as an effective cocatalyst in the photocatalysis and environment-related fields. − The Ti 3 C 2 MXene contains a large proportion of Ti resources to derive in situ TiO 2 and establishes a heterostructure due to the thermodynamical metastability of the marginal Ti atoms at the edge of the Ti 3 C 2 T x surface. − Meanwhile, during the slight oxidation process, the Ti electron orbitals undergo a significant change to form a strong chemical bond and provide a robust electronic interaction to improve the rapid transport of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the metallic Ti 3 C 2 T x endows itself with the ability to capture photogenerated electrons and thereby regulate the direction of the photogenerated charge carriers. − Till date, so many progresses such as Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 /ZIS, Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 / BiOCl, Ni 2 P/TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 , Cu/TiO 2 @Ti 3 C 2 T x , and Ru/MXene/TiO 2 have been developed on Ti 3 C 2 partially derived TiO 2 hybrids for various photocatalytic applications.…”

Advances in Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXenes and Their Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)-Based Nanotextures for Solar Energy Applications: A Review

“…MXenes are promising photocatalytic materials that are derived from MAX via acid etching to remove the Al layers, leaving behind the M (transition metals) and X (C or N) with a general formula of M n +1 X n . MXenes exist in either 0D quantum dots (QDs) or as 2D layered structures, which provides a higher specific surface area, reaction sites, ameliorated light harvesting, and electron acceptance capability as well as the prolonged lifetime of charge carriers. , Additionally, they have good mechanical and chemical stability as well as easily tunable valence electrons via preparation using lighter and heavier transition metals . Due to its metallic properties, MXenes are able to act as a cocatalyst for photocatalytic reactions due to their ability to form a Schottky junction, which acts as an electron trap and mediator .…”