In situ modification of cobalt on MXene/TiO2 as composite photocatalyst for efficient nitrogen fixation

Wanguo Gao; Xiaoman Li; Shijian Luo; Zhenglong Luo; Xu Zhang; Rong Huang; Min Luo

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.064

In situ modification of cobalt on MXene/TiO₂ as composite photocatalyst for efficient nitrogen fixation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Mar:585:20-29. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.064. Epub 2020 Nov 24.

Authors

Wanguo Gao¹, Xiaoman Li², Shijian Luo¹, Zhenglong Luo¹, Xu Zhang¹, Rong Huang¹, Min Luo³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China. Electronic address: lixm2017@nxu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, PR China. Electronic address: martinluomin@163.com.

PMID: 33279703
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.11.064

Abstract

Modulation of the binding of the reactant or product species with catalysts is an effective approach to optimize the photocatalytic activity. Herein, we explored the relationship between the binding of reactant (N₂) and product (NH₃) with catalyst and the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity. The surface reactivity of nitrogen with water was tuned by introducing Co into the MXene@TiO₂ catalysts, which the TiO₂ nanoparticle derived from the in-situ growth on the surface of MXene nanosheets. Co modified adjusted the chemisorption equilibrium of the catalyst for reactant (N₂) and product (NH₃), thus promoted product desorption and efficiency of the active site. Remarkably, the optimal catalyst (MXene/TiO₂/Co-0.5%) exhibited outstanding NH₄⁺ production rate (110 μmol g^-1 h^-1) and excellent stability in pure water without any hole sacrificial agent under Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) light in N₂ and air ambient.

Keywords: Co-modified; MXene; Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation; TiO(2).