Atmospheric pressure plasma jet printing and in situ oxidation of Ti2C MXene for photocatalytic dye degradation

By Damptey, Mariam, Kumar +9Applied Materials TodayNov 3, 2026

Score█████░░░░░4.6

Key numbers

2.1-fold higher methylene blue degradation
1.11-fold enhancement compared with commercial

VerdictWorth a reader's time today.

Read the original

Abstract

An innovative, low-power atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) approach has been developed for the in situ synthesis TiO 2 -Ti 2 C MXene heterostructures with enhanced light harvesting and photocatalytic properties. The one-step oxygen-plasma functionalization of Ti 2 C MXene enables the controlled formation of photoactive rutile TiO₂ nanoparticles on the MXene nanosheets, as confirmed by XRD and SEM. HRTEM further reveals the formation of plasma induced defect-rich TiO 2 on the Ti 2 C MXene substrate, which enhances photocatalytic performance through improved light absorption and charge separation. The introduction of vacancies and mixed oxidation states of Ti and C broadens the absorption spectrum and facilitates electron mobility. These structural modifications also increase the electronic density of states near the Fermi level, reducing electron-hole recombination and enabling more effective charge transfer. For the first time, we report a work function of 4.64 eV for Ti 2 C MXene, which can be correlated with enhanced photocatalytic activity. The combined effects of defect engineering, electronic-structure modulation, and intimate TiO 2 /MXene interfacial contact result in substantially improved photocatalytic activity. The optimized p MX05 heterostructure, produced after only 5 min of plasma exposure, achieved approximately 2.1-fold higher methylene blue degradation efficiency under UV irradiation than pristine Ti 2 C MXene, while exhibiting a 1.11-fold enhancement compared with commercial P25 TiO 2 . Overall, this scalable, single-step APPJ strategy provides an energy-efficient route for simultaneously oxidizing and functionalizing Ti 2 C MXene, offering a versatile platform for engineering advanced photocatalytic thin films and electrodes for environmental remediation and sustainable energy applications.

Lois Damptey, Ezrah Mariam, Ajay Kumar, Ramirez Irwing, Petros‐Panagis Filippatos, Alexander Chroneos, Nicholas P. Power, Suela Kellici, Katherine Inzani, Nicholas Braithwaite, R. Vasant Kumar, Satheesh Krishnamurthy

The editor's rubric

Heuristic review

Leverage3 / 5: A method or resource many groups across the field will adopt within a year.; 16% of this desk’s rubric
Magnitude4 / 5: A qualitative jump: a capability or regime that did not exist before.; 20% of this desk’s rubric
Evidence3 / 5: Solid: multiple benchmarks or cohorts, ablations, fair baselines, released code or data.; 20% of this desk’s rubric
Novelty3 / 5: A genuinely new approach to an open problem.; 10% of this desk’s rubric
Trajectory3 / 5: A clear path to scale.; 14% of this desk’s rubric
Stakes2 / 5: Benefits a professional community (practitioners, clinicians, engineers).; 20% of this desk’s rubric

Dimension	Level	Weight	What that level means
Leverage	███░░3/5	16%	A method or resource many groups across the field will adopt within a year.
Magnitude	████░4/5	20%	A qualitative jump: a capability or regime that did not exist before.
Evidence	███░░3/5	20%	Solid: multiple benchmarks or cohorts, ablations, fair baselines, released code or data.
Novelty	███░░3/5	10%	A genuinely new approach to an open problem.
Trajectory	███░░3/5	14%	A clear path to scale.
Stakes	██░░░2/5	20%	Benefits a professional community (practitioners, clinicians, engineers).

Editor’s rationale

Heuristic triage from title and abstract text only, not a reading of the paper. Cues found: method (we report); breadth (programmable); gains (x-fold); firsts (for the first time, first); verification (independent replication); scale (scalable, efficient); stakes (energy).

How the score was computed

rank-2026-10-18

Score█████░░░░░4.6

Score = 10 × (75% × adjusted merit / 10 + 15% × attention + 10% × freshness)

Desks place stronger verdicts first, then use this score to order work within the same verdict.

Merit: 6.0 / 10; Weighted rubric, evidence-gated.
Adjusted merit: 5.0 / 10; Shrunk toward the desk prior by editor confidence (48%).
Attention: 0%; Citations, upvotes, points, mentions.
Freshness: 85%; Half-life decay since publication.

Citations0 (reference 15, via openalex, Nov 5, 2026, 07:31 UTC)

The record

Reviewed by heuristic-v10 on Nov 5, 2026, 07:29 UTC. Paper type: method.
Categories: TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells, MXene and MAX Phase Materials, Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Energy
LEAD, No.1 in the Climate & Energy edition of November 5, 2026.