Engineering the decay time of Ti3C2T x MXene by gold nanoparticle decoration

Gaurav Rajput; Ankita Rawat; Nitesh K Chourasia; Gaurav Jalendra; Govind Gupta; Aditya Yadav; P K Kulriya

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/adb4f9

Engineering the decay time of Ti₃C₂T _x MXene by gold nanoparticle decoration

Nanotechnology. 2025 Feb 28;36(15). doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/adb4f9.

Authors

Gaurav Rajput¹, Ankita Rawat¹, Nitesh K Chourasia^{1

2}, Gaurav Jalendra³, Govind Gupta⁴, Aditya Yadav⁴, P K Kulriya¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
² Department of Physics, School of Energy Technology, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, 382426 Gujarat, India.
³ Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India.
⁴ CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, India.

PMID: 39938121
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/adb4f9

Abstract

MXenes, specifically Ti₃C₂T_xhaving peculiar structural and electronic characteristics display not only high surface area, and excellent thermal and electrical conductivity but also have the potential for functionalization. The primary focus of this research is to control the decay time of gold nanoparticle (NP) (Au NP) decorated multilayer Ti₃C₂T_xMXene (Au-Ti₃C₂T_x) synthesized by a simple two-step selective etching technique. Incorporation of Au NPs in the multilayer Ti₃C₂T_xMXene leads to lattice expansion, micro-strain reduction, and crystallinity improvement, as confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis. Observation of a well-developed G band in the Au-Ti₃C₂T_xMXene across different Au concentrations by Raman spectroscopy investigations suggests the accumulation of graphitic carbon on the MXene surface which has greatly improved the charge transfer characteristic of the carbide layer. Furthermore, the Au-Ti₃C₂T_xMXene exhibits promising optical properties for different concentrations of gold. The time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy studies displayed a reduction in the average decay time (τ_av) to ∼30% with increasing gold concentration from 100 to 150μl in Au NPs solution which is explained based on Au NPs induced surface plasmon resonance. The decoration of Au NPs facilitates the accumulation of carbon on the surface of MXene, resulting in enhanced crystallinity, reduced micro-strain, and decreased decay time. By engineering decay time through the decoration of noble metal NPs onto MXene, it becomes possible to fabricate highly efficient photodetectors and imaging devices. This is especially advantageous in applications where shorter decay times are desired.

Keywords: MXene; gold nanoparticles; graphitic carbon; photoluminescence.