Designing 3D porous BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite as a superior coating photocatalyst for photodegradation RhB and photoreduction Cr (VI)

Based on controllable morphology of BiOI, three-dimension (3D) porous BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite can be prepared via one-pot method in solvothermal condition. The BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite achieved a mesoporous nanostructure coating with a pore distribution of 2.5–20 nm. The numerous mesoporous of BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite provided the abundant active sites as a coating photocatalyst. The photoelectric and photocatalytic performances of BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite have also been discussed and studied systematically. In solvothermal condition, the synthesized BiOI as coating was dispersed on the Ti3C2 MXene surface to form the porous nanostructure, which achieved a larger specific surface area. Furthermore, the BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite respectively displayed the stronger photocatalytic ability in photodegradation Rhodamine B (RhB) and photoreduction Cr (VI) than 2D BiOI. For 3D porous BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite, the BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite with 40 wt% Ti3C2 MXene displayed the optimum photocatalytic ability. And the superior photocatalytic ability of BiOI/Ti3C2 nanocomposite was mainly due to the uniform mesoporous coating, high conductivity and narrow band gap. Therefore, Ti3C2 MXene as BiOI co-catalyst had a good prospect for application in water remediation.