Enhanced photocatalytic activity of accordion-like layered Ti3C2 (MXene) coupled with Fe-modified decahedral anatase particles exposing {101} and {001} facets

New composites consisting of decahedral anatase particles exposing {001} and {101} facets coupled with accordion-like layered Ti3C2 with boosted photocatalytic activity towards phenol and carbamazepine degradation were investigated. The photocatalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV-Vis), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy, luminescence decay analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and electrophoretic mobility measurements. The effect of hydrothermal reaction parameters on physicochemical, structural, and photocatalytic properties was studied. In all photodegradation processes, ortho-hydroxyphenol and para-hydroxyphenol were detected as the first intermediates of phenol decomposition. For the TiO2/Ti3C2 (140,12) sample containing V-Ti, a higher concentration of para-hydroxyphenol than ortho-hydroxyphenol was observed, whereas for sample TiO2/Ti3C2 (220,24) higher concentration of ortho-hydroxyphenol was noticed. The formation of surface heterojunction between {101} and {001} facets of decahedral anatase particles grown on Ti3C2 surface led to improved photoelectron transfer and enhanced photocatalytic activity towards degradation of carbamazepine - non-biodegradable and susceptible to bioaccumulation in living organisms commonly used pharmaceutical agent. Moreover, modification of TiO2/Ti3C2 surface with iron by magnetron sputtering deposition markedly improved photocatalytic activity in carbamazepine decomposition, with nearly 100% degradation in 60 min of irradiation under simulated solar light.

Automated summary

New composites consisting of decahedral anatase particles exposing {001} and {101} facets coupled with accordion-like layered Ti3C2 showed enhanced photocatalytic activity towards phenol and carbamazepine degradation. Various characterization techniques were employed to study the physicochemical and structural properties of the photocatalysts, revealing that the surface heterojunction between {101} and {001} facets of decahedral anatase particles grown on Ti3C2 surface contributed to improved photoelectron transfer and enhanced photocatalytic activity towards carbamazepine degradation. Moreover, surface modification with iron by magnetron sputtering deposition significantly improved the photocatalytic activity, achieving nearly 100% degradation of carbamazepine in 60 minutes under simulated solar light.