Noble metal decorated Ti3C2Tx MXene for room temperature SO2 detection

This paper presents an in-depth investigation into the synthesis and characterization of Ti3C2Tx MXene and its noble metal-decorated variants (Ti3C2Tx-Ag and Ti3C2Tx-Au), underscoring their viability for the fabrication of high-performance SO2 sensors. A self-reduction approach was employed to decorate Ti3C2Tx MXene with noble metals, and comprehensive characterization techniques enabled a detailed analysis of their properties. The formation of multilayered, and delaminated Ti3C2Tx and its successful decoration with Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs) was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The accordion-like morphology of multilayered Ti3C2Tx and transparent sheet-like structure were observed via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SO2 sensing measurements revealed that Ti3C2Tx, along with its Ag- and Au-decorated Ti3C2Tx, demonstrated room-temperature SO2 sensing with rapid response and recovery times. The loading of noble metals significantly improved sensitivity, with Ag-Ti3C2Tx showing the highest response. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying the enhanced sensitivity following noble metal decoration. The study results forecast a significant contribution to the development of Ti3C2Tx MXene for gas sensing applications.