Ti3C2@TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst with improved charge transfer for enhancing visible-light NO selective removal

Abstract Control of Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) byproducts is of great importance for the photocatalytic NO removal and environmental remedy. However, individual semiconductor photocatalysts generally show limited capabilities for selective NO removal due to severe charge recombination and inadequate redox potentials. Herein, the cotton-like g-C3N4 was modified with Ti3C2@TiO2 to construct a heterojunction photocatalyst Ti3C2@TiO2/g-C3N4, which showed outperformed photocatalytic NO removal and MB degradation abilities compared to the individual photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. The UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra confirmed that Ti3C2@TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was endowed with superior light utilization and separation/transfer ability of charge carriers due to the presence of n-n heterojunction and Schottky barrier. Furthermore, the g-C3N4, Ti3C2, and TiO2 were closely contacted showing a high specific surface area, which promoted the charge transfer and the exposure of more active sites, further inducing the formation of more active species. Therefore, the designed photocatalyst delivered a high removal rate of NO and a suppressed discharge of NO2. Notably, the photocatalyst Ti3C2@TiO2/g-C3N4 also presented superior NO removal ability during the cycling experiment, indicating their outstanding stability and recyclability. Besides, the effects of active species were monitored using a trapping experiment to propose probable photocatalytic mechanism. This study could shed a new light to the design of photocatalyst for air purification in the future.