Enhancement of the ZnO nanotube photoelectrochemical performance by MXene layer

Abstract

The zinc oxide nanotube functionalized by Ti3C2Tx (ZnO NT/MXene) has been successfully prepared. The MXene layer was attached to the ZnO NT surface by simply dipping method. The prepared material was confirmed by several characterization techniques. By modifying ZnO NT with MXene, a decrease in bandgap value and an increase in photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance was observed. The current density of ZnO NT/MXene was about 0.2 mA/cm2 (1.4 V vs Ag/AgCl), which is two times higher than ZnO NT. Furthermore, the oxygen evolution of modified ZnO NT was noted 1.5 times higher than the pristine one. These result suggests the effective hole junction/charge transfer for ZnO NT/MXene.