Construction of Few-Layer Ti3C2 MXene and Boron-Doped g-C3N4 for Enhanced Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-value-added chemicals by photocatalysis is recognized as a potential method to ease the greenhouse effect and the global energy crisis simultaneously. Herein, boron-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was combined with few-layer Ti3C2 MXene (FLTC) by electrostatic self-assembly. The composite exhibited superior performance to bare g-C3N4 and B-doped g-C3N4 BCN). The optimized 12FLTC/BCN produced 3.2- and 8.9-times higher CO and CH4 yields, respectively, than bare g-C3N4 under visible light. Moreover, 12FLTC/BCN showed excellent stability during the cycling experiment. Several characterizations (photoluminescence, time-resolved photoluminescence, and i-t curves) were carried out to demonstrate the synergy of boron dopants and the addition of FLTC. Besides, 12FLTC/BCN showed enhanced separation of photoinduced carriers and accelerated charge transport, leading to better photocatalytic activity. We believe that this work will encourage more research on MXene-based photocatalysts for different photocatalysis processes including photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the combination of boron-doped graphitic carbon nitride and few-layer MXene for photocatalytic CO2 conversion, showing significantly higher yields under visible light and excellent stability. Characterizations such as spectroscopy and current-time curves indicate the synergistic effect of boron dopants and MXene addition in enhancing photocatalytic activity.