Synergistic charge Ti₃CNTₓ@graphene nanoplatelets bi-functional catalyst for efficient water splitting and photocatalytic dyes and antibiotic removal

Catalytic activity is studied as a potential remedy for environmental pollution issues caused by industrial contaminants. This work successfully synthesized a novel Ti 3 CNT x @Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) composite catalyst prepared using a liquid-phase method for degradation of organic dye as well as pharmaceutical residuals due to enhanced charge carrier production due to conductive GNPs support. As a photocatalyst, Ti 3 CNT x @GNPs achieved nearly 100% Methylene orange degradation with significantly increased reaction rates up to 0.05576 min −1 within 120 min under visible light exposure. When exposed to visible light, the Ti 3 CNT x @GNPs composite degraded 75.1% levofloxacin (LEVO) in 20 min, surpassing its activity against Ciprofloxacin (CIP) of 85.5% in 100 min. With low Tafel slopes and overpotential values of 120 mV/dec and 134 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) while 159 mV/dec and 241 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), Ti 3 CNT x @GNPs demonstrated effective OER and HER activities at 10 mA cm −2 of current density. The bifunctional catalytic capability of Ti 3 CNT x @GNPs for total water splitting is demonstrated by these results. Ti 3 CNT x @GNPs composite exhibits remarkable water-splitting characteristics and can successfully degrade dyes and antibiotics, making it a promising candidate for energy along with environmental remediation activities.