Catalysis

Engineering

Oxide

Metallurgy

Materials science

Carbide

Nanocomposite

Titanium

Photoluminescence

Chemical engineering

Titanium oxide

Titanium carbide

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Composite material

Heterojunction

Chemistry

Photocatalysis

Optoelectronics

Applied Catalysis B Environment and Energy

In this study, for the first time, we report the design of titanium carbide (Ti3C2) – based nanocomposites to realize a highly efficient antibacterial effect. Stable reduced silver @ titanium carbide @ cuprous oxide ([email protected]3C2@Cu2O) nanocomposites with efficient antibacterial activities were synthesized via a simple wet chemical method at room temperature and developed as highly efficient photocatalytic bactericides for antifouling. The [email protected]3C2@Cu2O nanocomposites showed excellent antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The electron-hole recombination efficiency of the nanocomposites was analyzed by characterizing the photoluminescence spectra, which indicated that the charge transfer channel imparted by the heterostructure between the nanocomposites considerably improved charge transport and separation efficiency, prolonged the life of active electrons, and promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations and finite element method calculations indicated that the structure of nanocomposites reduces the difficulty of photoelectron escaping during photocatalysis and improves photocatalytic efficiency.

2D titanium carbide-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic bacteriostatic applications