Microwave-assisted construction of MXene/MOF aerogel via N-metal bonds for efficient photodegradation of vapor acetone under high humidity

[Display omitted] •MXene/MOF aerogel with bi-bonding Ti-N/N-Zr was constructed via microwave-assisted construction.•Abundant MOF crystals were grown on MXene surface based on MXene hot-spot effect.•MXene and their tight interface enhanced aerogel light absorption, e–/h+ separation, and radical generation.•MXene/MOF aerogel showed 10–104 times higher ka than state-of-art photocatalysts.•MXene/MOF aerogel realized ∼ 95% TOC removal of acetone and remarkable reusability. Designing MOF aerogels possessing highly efficient photocatalytic performance for VOCs photodegradation is a significant but challenging task. Herein, a microwave-assisted bridging strategy was proposed to construct MXene/MOF aerogel photocatalysts based on the wave-absorbing hot-spots effect of MXene for efficient acetone photodegradation in high humidity. The MXene/MOF aerogel formed abundant and intimate nano-interfaces via N-metal (N-Ti[MXene] and N-Zr[NH2-UiO-66(Zr)] bi-bonding under microwave irradiation, which enhanced light absorption, OH/O2− radicals formation, photo-induced electron-hole (e–/h+) generation, and their separation. Consequently, it exhibited excellent acetone photodegradation (97.3%) in 80% high humidity, with 10–104 times higher apparent rate constants (k*) than those of state-of-the-art photocatalysts. Moreover, MXene/MOF aerogel photocatalyst realized ∼ 95% TOC removal of acetone within 60 min and exhibited remarkable photocatalytic stability after five cycling-runs. Considering these attributes, the newly designed MXene/MOF aerogel photocatalysts have the potential to provide a practical approach for the efficient degradation of VOCs under high humidity conditions.