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.