In situ synthesis of 2D/2D MXene-COF heterostructure anchored with Ag nanoparticles for enhancing Schottky photocatalytic antibacterial efficiency under visible light

Abstract

It is a major challenge to combine the advantages of two kinds of two-dimensional materials to construct a heterojunction and achieve efficient photocatalytic antifouling. In this work, we covalently connected two materials MXenes and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) through the Schiff base reaction and anchored Ag nanoparticles (NPs) to prepare a Ti₃C₂/TpPa-1/Ag composite material with high efficiency bactericidal properties. The covalent bonding between MXene and COF greatly improved the stability of the material. Ti₃C₂/TpPa-1/Ag composite showed an excellent antibacterial property against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The fluorescence spectra of Ti₃C₂/TpPa-1/Ag proved that the electron transfer channels formed between the ternary materials could greatly improve the efficiency of carrier separation and prolong the life of photogenerated carriers. Density functional theory calculations showed that the synergistic catalytic effect of Ag and Ti₃C₂ could greatly reduce the work function along the interface, and the built-in electric field between the layers drive carrier fast migration, which effectively improve the catalytic performance.

Keywords: Covalent connection; Photocatalytic antibacterial; Reactive oxygen species; Ti(3)C(2)/TpPa-1/Ag.