Facile synthesis of CuS/MXene nanocomposites for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Abstract

In this work, we have established a facile wet-chemical procedure for depositing CuS nanocrystals (NCs) on layered MXenes with efficient photocatalytic activity. Multilayered and few-layered MXenes are respectively achieved by etching MAX in the presence of HF solution and by subsequent intercalating the as-synthesized multilayered Ti₃C₂T_x with tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution (TMAOH). The CuS/MXene nanocomposites are then prepared by an in situ reaction of sulfur with copper precursors. A unique and simple ligand exchange technique is explored to convert the resulting CuS/MXene nanocomposites to the water phase in order to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the resulting samples. Compared with the pristine MXene and CuS, the CuS/MXene nanocomposite displays higher photocatalytic activity for H₂ generation under the illumination of simulated sunlight. The CuS-deposited few-layered MXene demonstrates the highest photocatalytic activity among all the samples. The H₂ generation rate of the CuS-deposited few-layered MXene can reach 4.245 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is more than 1.42 and 1.49 times higher than that of pure CuS and MXene, respectively. This work might pave the way to a facile and general approach to modulate 0D/2D nanocomposites and heterostructures for promising applications in energy-related fields.