WS2-intercalated Ti3C2Tx MXene/TiO2-stacked hybrid structure as an excellent sonophotocatalyst for tetracycline degradation and nitrogen fixation

Abstract

Designing a heterostructure nanoscale catalytic site to facilitate N2 adsorption and photogenerated electron transfer would maximize the potential for photocatalytic activity and N2 reduction reactions. Herein, we have explored the interfacial TiO2 nanograins between the Ti3C2Tx MXene-WS2 heterostructure and addressed the beneficial active sites to expand the effective charge transfer rate and promote sonophotocatalytic N2 fixation. Benefiting from the interfacial contact and dual heterostructure interface maximizes the photogenerated carrier separation between WS2 and MXene/TiO2. The sonophotocatalytic activity of the MXene@TiO2/WS2 hybrid, which was assessed by examining the photoreduction of N2 with ultrasonic irradiation, was much higher than that of either sonocatalytic and photocatalytic activity because of the synergistic sonocatalytic effect under photoirradiation. The Schottky junction between the MXene and TiO2 on the hybrid MXene/TiO2-WS2 heterostructure resulted in the sonophotocatalytic performance through effective charge transfer, which is 1.47 and 1.24 times greater than MXene-WS2 for nitrogen fixation and pollutant degradation, respectively. Under the sonophotocatalytic process, the MXene/TiO2-WS2 heterostructure exhibits a decomposition efficiency of 98.9 % over tetracycline in 90 min, which is 5.46, 1.73, and 1.10 times greater than those of sonolysis, sonocatalysis, and photocatalysis, respectively. The production rate of NH3 on MXene/TiO2-WS2 reached 526 μmol g−1 h−1, which is 3.17, 3.61, and 1.47 times higher than that of MXene, WS2, and MXene-WS2, respectively. The hybridized structure of MXene-WS2 with interfacial surface oxidized TiO2 nanograins minimizes the band potential and improves photocarrier use efficiency, contributing directly to the remarkable catalytic performance towards N2 photo fixation under visible irradiation under ultrasonic irradiation. This report provides the strategic outcome for the mass carrier transfer rate and reveals a high conversion efficiency in the hybridized heterostructure. © 2023 The Author(s)