Ti3C2 MXene assembled with TiO2 for efficient photocatalytic mineralization of gaseous o-xylene

• Coupling Ti 3 C 2 MXene with anatase TiO 2 improve the degradation and mineralization of o-xylene. • The introduction of Ti 3 C 2 MXene enhanced the separation of photogenerated electrons. • Fewer aromatic anhydride species were aggregated on the surface of 1% Ti 3 C 2 -TiO 2 compared to TiO 2 during the photocatalytic degradation of o-xylene. In the research of photocatalytic removal of VOCs, the mineralization rate of organic pollutants has been ignored. High mineralization rate means the reduction of intermediates, which is more conducive to environmental protection and photocatalysts stability. In this work, we successfully compounded conductive Ti 3 C 2 with TiO 2 for photocatalytic degradation of o-xylene. The production of CO 2 by 1% Ti 3 C 2 -TiO 2 composite was about twice than that of pure TiO 2 . The results of PL and photocurrent response showed that 1% Ti 3 C 2 -TiO 2 composite had less carrier recombination and higher photocurrent response, which endows its stronger photocatalytic oxidation ability than TiO 2 . The in-situ infrared spectroscopy revealed that more aromatic anhydride species deposited on the TiO 2 surface and led to the less mineralization degree for TiO 2 sample. The four-cycle tests further confirmed the better stability of 1% Ti 3 C 2 -TiO 2 sample. This work disclosed the role of Ti 3 C 2 in enhancing the mineralization of VOCs, which may provide a new perspective for the design of high-efficiency photocatalysts.