Research progress of novel two-dimensional layered nanomaterials MXene-based photocatalyst in water treatment

Abstract

Photocatalytic technology shows significant advantages in environmental remediation and catalysis due to use clean solar energy directly and highly mineralization of pollutants. Metal oxides photocatalysts have the disadvantages of a large band gap and high hole-electron recombination. In recent years，MXene have potential applications in the modification of metal oxide with advantages of good electron transfer ability，environmental stability，rich layer structure and large specific surface area. In this paper，the preparation methods of MXene were firstly outlined，including hydrofluoric acid etching，fluoride etching，alkali etching，hydrochloric acid hydrothermal etching，Lewis acid etching，electrochemical etching，chemical vapor deposition and high temperature decomposition method. Secondly，the surface functional groups，dispersibility and chemical stability were introduced. Then，photocatalytic mechanism of MXene/metal oxide photocatalysts was reviewed，including photocatalytic mechanism of metal oxide，photocatalytic activity enhanced mechanism of MXene/metal oxide. Moreover，applications of MXene/metal oxide photocatalysts were introduced，including the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products（PPCPs） and dyes，and the photo-stability. Finally，the existing problems of MXene/metal oxide photocatalysts were prospected，which could provide the theoretical supporting for design of efficient photocatalysts and water treatment applications.

Keywords

• photocatalysis
• 2d materials
• mxene
• water treatment