Engineering a Multifunctional Cu2O/BiVO4@Ti3C2 MXene Z‐Scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic environmental Detoxification, H2 Generation, and CO2 reduction to CO and CH4: Experimental modeling and mechanistic insights

作者：Yang Zhang, Ali B.M. Ali, Haitham Osman, Sarminah Samad, Amal Abdulrahman, Keping Zhang, Ibrahm Mahariq, Uchkun Kutliev, Alisher Abduvokhidov · 发表于：Separation and Purification Technology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.seppur.2025.133110 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、Copper-based nanomaterials and applications、MXene and MAX Phase Materials

Developing advanced semiconductor materials that can concurrently address energy and environmental challenges is critically essential. Herein, a novel Cu 2 O/BiVO 4 @Ti 3 C 2 MXene Z‐scheme photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple chemical reduction route and exhaustively characterized via structural, morphological, optical, and electrochemical analyses. Controlling Ti 3 C 2 MXene loading (optimized at 30 wt%) proved vital to enhancing charge‐carrier mobility and redox potential, whereas higher loadings (>40 wt%) masked active sites and lower loadings (<20 wt%) offered inadequate conductivity gains. Under visible‐light irradiation, Cu 2 O/BiVO 4 @Ti 3 C 2 :30 catalyst displayed remarkable versatility by simultaneously achieving near‐complete tetracycline (TC) degradation, water splitting for H 2 production (4.70 mmol g -1 h −1 ), and CO 2 reduction to CO (94.92 µmol g −1 ) and CH 4 (41.03 µmol g −1 ). These efficiencies exceeded those of bare Cu 2 O, BiVO 4 , Ti 3 C 2 , and the binary Cu 2 O/BiVO 4 system by threefold to fourfold, underscoring the synergistic function of the Z‐scheme heterojunction architecture. The RSM-CCD modeling approach determined the optimal conditions for TC degradation to be 34.51 mg L -1 initial concentration, 1.12 g L -1 catalyst dosage, 70.89 min irradiation time, and pH 4.94, achieving a 99.5 % removal rate. LC–MS results revealed that TC underwent successive oxidative transformations into less harmful intermediates, further corroborated by toxic...