Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes by AgNPs/TiO2/Ti3C2Tx MXene Composites under UV and Solar Light
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 Ti3C2Tx 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/TiO2/Ti3C2Tx. This work broadens the application range of oxidized MXene composites, providing an alternative material for degrading organics dyes and wastewater treatment applications.
Other Information
Published in: ACS Omega
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c03189
History
Language
- English
Publisher
American Chemical SocietyPublication Year
- 2021
License statement
This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Institution affiliated with
- Hamad Bin Khalifa University
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute - HBKU
- College of Science and Engineering - HBKU