Issue 6, 2022

In situ synthesis of N-doped TiO2 on Ti3C2 MXene with enhanced photocatalytic activity in the selective reduction of nitrate to N2

Abstract

Photocatalysis exhibits promise in the reduction of nitrates into harmless dinitrogen. Herein, the synthesis of N-doped TiO2/Ti3C2 at a low calcination temperature using NH4Cl and Ti3C2 was reported for the first time. Cationic NH4+ was intercalated into the interlayers of Ti3C2 and NH4Cl was self-assembled on the surface of Ti3C2. N-doped TiO2/Ti3C2 was in situ synthesized by one-step calcining the Ti3C2 MXene and NH4Cl mixture. The as-prepared composite exhibited excellent activity in the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate. As characterized, the N-dopant added an impurity energy level within the band gap of TiO2, which was favourable for improving the light absorption ability. Meanwhile, the metallic nature of Ti3C2 with a layered structure accelerated the charge transfer between N-TiO2 and Ti3C2, and further facilitated the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Moreover, the addition of formic acid in the solution not only acted as a hole scavenger to produce the reducing agent ·CO2, but also provided extra reactive electrons by generating the charge-transfer-complex between N-TiO2 and formic acid, which greatly promoted the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate. Notably, NO3 with Lewis basic property was easily adsorbed onto the Lewis acid sites on the surface of N-doped TiO2/Ti3C2 by the electrostatic force. All the above-mentioned superiorities contributed to the greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the N-doped TiO2/Ti3C2 composite in the reduction of nitrate. The mechanism has also been proposed based on the testing results.

Graphical abstract: In situ synthesis of N-doped TiO2 on Ti3C2 MXene with enhanced photocatalytic activity in the selective reduction of nitrate to N2

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
23 Жел. 2021
Accepted
23 Қаң. 2022
First published
25 Қаң. 2022

Inorg. Chem. Front., 2022,9, 1195-1207

In situ synthesis of N-doped TiO2 on Ti3C2 MXene with enhanced photocatalytic activity in the selective reduction of nitrate to N2

R. Zheng, C. Li, K. Huang, Y. Guan, W. Wang, L. Wang, J. Bian and X. Meng, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2022, 9, 1195 DOI: 10.1039/D1QI01614H

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