Abstract
Abstract The efficient removal of toxic organic dyes from wastewater remains a significant challenge in environmental remediation. In this study, a novel hydrothermally assembled g-C3N4-MXene (Ti3C2Tx) heterostructure is developed as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst for the degradation of Rose Bengal dye. Unlike conventional physical mixing approaches, exfoliated g-C3N4 and Ti3C2Tx MXene were integrated through a controlled hydrothermal process to achieve strong interfacial coupling and uniform dispersion. Structural and morphological analyses confirm the successful formation of the heterostructure with intimate contact between g-C3N4 layers and the conductive MXene framework. Optical investigations reveal enhanced visible-light absorption and pronounced photoluminescence quenching in the composite, indicating improved charge separation and suppressed electron-hole recombination. The photocatalytic performance was systematically evaluated under visible-light irradiation using Rose Bengal as a model pollutant. Compared to MXene and pristine g-C3N4, which require approximately 60 and 30 min, respectively, for complete dye degradation, the g-C3N4-MXene composite achieves rapid degradation within 20 min, demonstrating significantly enhanced reaction kinetics. The superior performance is attributed to synergistic interfacial charge transfer, MXene-mediated electron transport, and increased density of active sites. This work highlights the importance of interfacial engineering in g-C3N4-MXene systems and provides a promising strategy for designing high-performance photocatalysts for sustainable wastewater treatment.