Ti3C2/TiO2 nanowires with excellent photocatalytic performance for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aldehydes

The Ti3C2/TiO2 nanowires photocatalyst is synthesized by in situ growth through a facile hydrothermal method and mild chemical processes for the first time. The Ti3C2/TiO2-0.7 exhibits high photocatalytic activity for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aldehydes under visible light irradiation. The 92% benzyl alcohol conversion and almost 99% selectivity is observed for the Ti3C2/TiO2-0.7 photocatalyst, higher than that of P25 and TiO2 nanowires. Results reveal that the photocatalytic activity of this photocatalyst is mainly attributed to the introduction of Ti3C2, which results in the narrowed energy band gap by altering the position of CB and VB of TiO2 and the enhanced light-harvesting ability. In our design, a Schottky barrier is established between Ti3C2 and TiO2 nanowires to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. Significantly, the feasible reaction mechanism of Ti3C2/TiO2 nanowires photocatalyst under visible light is proposed. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.