Synthesis of titanium carbide MXene nanosheets by eco‐friendly technique for strontium ion adsorption

Two‐dimensional titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 T x , where T x indicates the surface termination) MXene nanosheets were synthesized by etching the Ti 3 AlC 2 MAX phase using two kinds of etchants: potassium hydroxide (KOH) base and hydrofluoric (HF) acid. This study aimed to reduce the environmental side‐effects caused by the etchant in fabricating MXene nanosheets to extract strontium ions (Sr 2+ ) from nuclear wastewater. Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene synthesized using alkaline KOH etchant showed a 99% Sr 2+ removal rate, which is much higher than that synthesized using the conventional HF etchant (82%). The enhanced Sr 2+ removal rate associated with KOH etching was explained by unique surface termination, which offers more active adsorption sites for Sr 2+ by the partial hydrolysis of Ti–C bonds on the surface of MXene nanosheets. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.