Ti₃C₂ 2D MXene: Recent Progress and Perspectives in Photocatalysis

Abstract

In 2011, with the successful isolation of Ti3C2, a door of 2D layered MXene has been opened and received growing attention from researchers. MXene refers to a family of two-dimensional (2D) materials made up of atomic layers of the transition metal, carbide, nitrides, or carbonitrides. Given the large surface area, adjustable surface terminal groups, and excellent conductivity of MXene, it has shown exciting potential in photocatalysis, energy conversion, and many other fields. Among many 2D MXene, Ti3C2 was the most studied for its availability, low cost, facile modification procedure, and outstanding electronic properties. In previous investigations, Ti3C2 has shown huge potential in the photocatalysis area. Ti3C2 in a photocatalysis system can enhance the separation of photoinduced electrons and holes, reduce charge recombination, and thus improve the photocatalysis performance in many systems. To adjust the performance of Ti3C2 in different applications, the properties of Ti3C2 including morphology, structures, and stability are tunable by different post-processing method in the hybridized materials. In this review, an all-around understanding of the fabrication and modification methods of Ti3C2 and their connection to photocatalytic applications of Ti3C2 MXene based materials are presented. Moreover, a summary and our perspectives of Ti3C2 are given for further investigation.

Engineering a surface defect-rich Ti3C2 quantum dots/mesoporous C3N4 hollow nanosphere Schottky junction for efficient N2 photofixation

“…16 Belonging to a class of widely studied 2D layered MXenes, Ti 3 C 2 MXene exhibits several unique features that make it an efficient co-catalyst to boost the photocatalytic activity by serving as an electron acceptor. 17–20 (i) Its metallic conductivity enables good charge transfer kinetics, facilitating rapid migration and efficient separation of photoexcited electrons and holes. (ii) Its exposed terminal metal sites could provide more active sites for catalysis.…”

Recent Progress in the Synthesis and Applications of Composite Photocatalysts: A Critical Review

“…Herein, we will mainly focus on the Ti 3 C 2 . [221,222] Due to the abundant features such as huge surface area, super conductivity, excellent mechanical strength, and modifiable terminal groups, Ti 3 C 2 based composites have been extensively utilized in photocatalysis for various applications. [223] For example, CO 2 photoreduction was achieved by Ti 3 C 2 /g-C 3 N 4 , where the exceptional surface area of Ti 3 C 2 provided plentiful reactive-sites and further supported the CO 2 adsorption.…”

Hybrid Carbon Nanofibers Derived from MXene Nanosheets and Aromatic Poly(ether amide) for Self‐Standing Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials

“…[ 25 ] Owing to outstanding electrical conductivity and surface terminal groups, MXene is called “conductive clay” or “hydrophilic graphene.” [ 28 ] Accordingly, MXene and its hybrids or composites have been investigated as advanced electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage devices. [ 34–42 ]…”