Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye by Ti3C2-TiO2 heterojunction under solar light.

Photocatalytic activity is a feasible solution to tackle environmental pollution caused by industrial pollutants. In this research, Ti3C2-TiO2 composite with a unique structure was fabricated successfully via a hydrothermal method. Especially, the in-situ transformation of TiO2 from Ti3C2 MXene creates an intimate heterostructure, which leads to prolonging separation and migration of charged carriers. Thus, this Ti3C2-TiO2 composite enhances effectively methyl orange (MO) degradation efficiency (around 99%) after 40 light-exposed minutes. Besides, the optimal concentration of MO solution was estimated at 40 mg/L and Ti3C2-TiO2 photocatalyst also exhibited good stability after five runs. Moreover, the radical trapping test and the MO photodegradation mechanism over Ti3C2-TiO2 system were also demonstrated. This research illustrates the potential of MXenes as effective co-catalysts for photocatalysis and extends the applications of two-dimensional materials.