Superfine Tantalum aluminum carbide MAX Ti2NbAlC2 Powder

Water pollution is one of the growing issue that pose a serious threat both to aquatic and terrestrial species. In particular, direct release of industrial dyes in the aquatic system has been found to associate with server health detriments. Among the many reliable remediation approaches, the adsorption technology is most preferable due to simplicity, applicability at preparative scale and affordability [1]. To achieve the maximum potential, the surface area and functionalities of adsorbent material are crucial factors. Thus, the nature and engineering of adsorbent is the key parameters in designing ultra-adsorbent materials. In this context, MXene, a relatively new 2D material with excellent hydrophilicity besides large surface area and abundant tunable functionality has shown tremendous potential compared to graphene based competitors [2] . In this contribution, we report the synthesis of ultra-thin MXene nanosheets, which have been tested for adsorptive removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye. The MXene sheets were prepared using acid-etching technique subsequently producing lamellar-like structure, and abundant surface bound oxygen-moieties (Fig.1a). The MXene sheets demonstrated excellent removal capability, with maximum RhB adsorption capacity of 3047 mg/g (Fig.1b) and equilibrium setting time of 1 min. The excellent adsorptive behavior of MXene sheets was experimentally proven to be attributed to the synergic combination of favorable forces such as chemical adsorption (ion exchange) and physical adsorption (electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals force). The present study serves as a step onward to understand MXene adsorption mechanism and its practical consideration as a suitable alternative to graphene.