Solvothermal synthesis of CdTiO3/Ti3C2 MXene composite as a new efficient visible light photocatalyst

CdTiO3/Ti3C2 MXene (CdTiO3/TCM) heterojunctions were created using coordination-solvothermal synthesis, effectively addressing the rapid recombination and slow migration of photogenerated carriers in single semiconductor photocatalysts. The CdTiO3/TCM heterojunction consists of shuttle-like CdTiO3 structures implanted on the surface of multilayered Ti3C2 MXene, significantly enhancing the specific surface area and visible light capture capability. The photocatalytic degradation rate constant of CdTiO3/TCM-B under visible light for Rhodamine B (RhB) reached 8.7 x10-3 min-1, 7.25 times that of pure CdTiO3. CdTiO3/TCM-B maintained high degradation activity even after five cycles of use. Experimental results indicate that superoxide radicals (center dot O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH) were the main active species in the degradation process of RhB. Analysis of photoelectric properties and band structure revealed the role of the heterojunction structure in promoting the separation and transfer of photogenerated charges. The results confirm that Ti3C2 MXene, as a cocatalyst for CdTiO3, can significantly improve photocatalytic performance, demonstrating the potential for developing new visible light photocatalysts.