Interfacial Self-Assembly-Induced Lattice Distortion in Ti 3 C 2 for Enhanced Piezocatalytic Activity.

Herein, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are constructed on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 MXene to improve its environmental stability and piezocatalytic activity. Ti 3 C 2 /SAMs-X (X = H, Cl, and NH 2 ) was prepared to enhance the piezocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) and hydrogen production. Surface-treated Ti 3 C 2 exhibits different lattice parameters and symmetry, thus leading to an increased polarization. The presence of polar functional groups in SAMs remarkably increases the surface potential of Ti 3 C 2 , thereby promoting the migration of piezoelectric electrons. Ti 3 C 2 /SAMs-NH 2 exhibits the highest piezocatalytic performance, thus improving BPA removal and H 2 generation by 7 and 1.8 times, respectively. In addition, Ti 3 C 2 /SAMs-NH 2 remained stable under 100% relative humidity for 15 days. Therefore, it provides a facile strategy for modulating piezocatalytic properties through interfacial self-assembly-induced lattice distortion.