V2C MXene modified ZIF-8 for photocatalytic CO2 conversion to Fuel
Azmat Ali KHAN, Muhammad TAHIR
Abstract. The fabrication of highly proficient photocatalysts for CO₂ reduction to fuels is important for solar-to-fuel energy conversion. ZIF-8, a Zn-based metal-organic framework (MOF), owing to large surface area, porous structure, and tunable pore environment turns it into efficient photocatalyst. However, the photocatalytic performance of ZIF-8 is hindered by charge carriers recombination, making it crucial to improve the charge carrier transfer for improved efficiency. Vanadium Carbide (V₂C) MXene, owing to high electrical conductivity, and tunable surface terminations, offer great potential as an electrons reservoir in photocatalytic systems. In this work, a V₂C/ZIF-8 hybrid photocatalyst was fabricated for photoreduction of CO₂ to fuels. The synergistic integration of V₂C with ZIF-8 improved CO₂ capture, facilitated charge separation, and promote multi-electron transfer pathways. The 15% V₂C/ZIF-8 composite achieved a CO yield of 12.23, 0.32 and 2.0 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ under simulated sunlight for CO, CH4 and H2 respectively. This enhancement is attributed to the high CO₂ adsorption of ZIF-8 coupled with the metallic conductivity in V₂C, enabling efficient the formation of efficient Schottky junction. This work highlights the promising potential of MXene/MOF hybrids for solar-driven CO₂ conversion into value-added fuels.
Keywords
Photocatalyst, ZIF-8 MOF, Mxene
Published online 6/20/2026, 7 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Azmat Ali KHAN, Muhammad TAHIR, V2C MXene modified ZIF-8 for photocatalytic CO2 conversion to Fuel, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 140-146, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-20
The article was published as article 20 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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