Ti3C2@g-C3N4/TiO2 Ternary Heterogeneous Photocatalyst for Promoted Photocatalytic Degradation Activities

Abstract

Ternary heterojunction photocatalysts can improve the transport and separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, which could promote their reduction and oxidation properties for environmental and energy applications. In this research, the ternary photocatalyst Ti3C2@TiO2/g-C3N4 was successfully synthesized via direct electrostatic self-assembly during hydrothermal process. Ti3C2 MXene was used to optimize the interfacial carrier transport and separation between the interfaces. The obtained ternary heterostructured photocatalyst had a higher photocatalytic degradation performance for removing rhodamine B (RhB) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). The synergistic effect of heterojunction between g-C3N4 and TiO2 and Schottky barrier presented among TiO2 and Ti3C2 suppressed the recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Moreover, the Ti3C2 can serve as an active site for the adsorption and activation of organic pollutants resulting from sufficient functional groups (F− here).