Ti3C2 MXene-induced interface electron separation in g-C3N3/Ti3C2 MXene/MoSe2 Z-scheme heterojunction for enhancing visible light-irradiated enoxacin degradation

A Z-scheme heterojunction of g-C3N4/Ti3C2 MXene/MoSe2 (CXM) was constructed that achieved effective visible light-induced removal of enoxacin within 60 min. The morphology, component distribution and optical properties of the as-synthesized CXM were carried out by techniques. Based on the characterization results in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a reasonable Z-scheme heterojunction band structure was proposed. Herein, Ti3C2 MXene-induced interface electron separation played a vital role on highly efficient degradation. As an excellent mediator between g-C3N4 and MoSe2, Ti3C2 MXene effectively transferred electron and inhibited its recombination. Meanwhile, a Schottky junction can be formed between conductor (Ti3C2 MXene) and semiconductor (g-C3N4 and MoSe2) to enhance the electron trapping. The trapped electron furtherly induced the active species formation to improve the activity. The degradation routes of the CXM were inferred, simultaneously, its bio-toxicity was assessed during degradation. Moreover, the CXM presented a potential application in degradation of other fluoroquinolones (FQs) contaminants, including moxifloxacin (100%), ofloxacin (100%), levofloxacin (100%), norfloxacin (80%), ciprofloxacin (80%) and gatifloxacin (65%).

Automated summary

A Z-scheme heterojunction of g-C3N4/Ti3C2 MXene/MoSe2 (CXM) was constructed for effective visible light-induced removal of enoxacin, with Ti3C2 MXene playing a vital role in electron separation. The trapped electron further induced the active species formation to improve the activity. Moreover, CXM showed potential in degrading other fluoroquinolones contaminants.