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. 2025 Mar 20;30(6):1393.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30061393.

Polythiophene/Ti3C2TX MXene Composites for Effective Removal of Diverse Organic Dyes via Complementary Activity of Adsorption and Photodegradation

Young-Hwan Bae  1 , Seongin Hong  1 , Jin-Seo Noh  2
Affiliations

Polythiophene/Ti3C2TX MXene Composites for Effective Removal of Diverse Organic Dyes via Complementary Activity of Adsorption and Photodegradation

Young-Hwan Bae et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

This study presents an effective method to remove organic dyes from wastewater, using a composite of few-layered porous (FLP) Ti3C2Tx MXene and polythiophene (PTh) nanospheres. The FLP MXene, which was pre-synthesized by a series of intercalation, heat-induced TiO2 formation, and its selective etching, was combined with PTh nanospheres via a simple solution method. The composite effectively removed various organic dyes, but its efficiency was altered depending on the type of dye. Particularly, the removal efficiency of methylene blue reached 91.3% and 97.8% after irradiation for 10 min and 1 h, respectively. The high dye removal efficiency was attributed to the large surface area (32.01 m2/g) of the composite, strong electrostatic interaction between the composite and dye molecules, and active photodegradation process. The strong electrostatic interaction and large surface area could facilitate the adsorption of dye molecules, while photocatalytic activity further enhance dye removal under light. These results are indicative that the PTh/FLP MXene composite may be a promising material for environmental remediation through synergistic processes of adsorption and photocatalysis.

Keywords: Ti3C2TX MXene; adsorption; dye removal; photocatalyst; polythiophene nanospheres.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SEM images of (a) control Ti3C2TX MXene, (b) few-layered (FL) Ti3C2TX MXene, (c) heat-treated FL MXene at 200 °C, and (d–h) FLP MXenes etched with different concentrations of HF solutions. The FLP MXene in (f) underwent an additional sonication step after 20% HF etching.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) SEM image of PTh/FLP MXene composite (1:1). (b) Magnified image of the selected area in (a). (c) Overall element map of the selected area. (d–h) Element-specific maps: (d) Ti, (e) C, (f) S, (g) O, (h) F. (i) SEM-EDX spectrum with an inset of atomic composition.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) SEM image of PTh/FLP MXene composite (1:1). (b) Magnified image of the selected area in (a). (c) Overall element map of the selected area. (d–h) Element-specific maps: (d) Ti, (e) C, (f) S, (g) O, (h) F. (i) SEM-EDX spectrum with an inset of atomic composition.
Figure 3
Figure 3
XRD patterns of control MXene (black), FL MXene (red), 200 °C-heated FL MXene (magenta), FLP MXene prepared with 20% HF solution (blue), and PTh/FLP MXene composite with 1:1 weight ratio (dark yellow).
Figure 4
Figure 4
FT-IR spectra of (a) FLP MXene prepared with 20% HF solution, (b) PTh nanospheres, and (c) PTh/FLP MXene composites with weight ratios of 1:1 (red), 1:2 (green), 1:5 (blue), and 1:10 (cyan).
Figure 5
Figure 5
UV-Vis absorption spectra of PTh nanospheres (black) and PTh/FLP MXene composites with weight ratios of 1:1 (red), 1:2 (green), 1:5 (blue), and 1:10 (cyan).
Figure 6
Figure 6
DRS spectra of (a) PTh nanospheres, (b) FLP MXene, and (c) PTh/FLP MXene composite (1:1).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Removal efficiencies of (a) MB, (b) OG, and (c) RhB.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) Pseudo-first order kinetic and (b) pseudo-second order kinetic models for MB (black), OG (blue), and RhB (red). Here, PTh/FLP MXene composite (1:1) was used as an adsorbent.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Schematic mechanisms for photodegradation of organic dyes activated by the PTh/FLP MXene composite.
Figure 10
Figure 10
(a) Cycle-dependent MB degradation efficiencies. (b) Degradation efficiencies of various organic dyes and pollutants. (c) Free radical scavenging test results using three different scavengers.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Schematic procedures for the synthesis of the PTh/FLP MXene composite.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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