Engineered MXene/Bi2S3 nanoflowers in sodium alginate hydrogel: A synergistic eradicator of disinfected byproducts in aqueous environment

In this work, Bi2S3 nanoflowers were in situ anchored on the surface of Ti3C2 via a hydrothermal process to obtain MXene-supported Ti3C2/Bi2S3 nanocomposite, then incorporated inside in sodium alginate polymer to prepared hydrogel materials (Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H) which outperforms and have an excellent capability for the removal of pollutants like disinfected byproducts. The synthesized hydrogel material Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H may be utilized for a variety of functional materials in environmental applications. Furthermore, the Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H was characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD, BET, AFM, FTIR, Zeta potential, XPS, Raman and TGA. Remarkably, Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H hydrogel 0.007 cm3 g−1, 159.5 nm and 0.0017 cm3 g−1, 160.5 nm materials exhibited the highest average pore diameter. The research focused on evaluating the adsorption capability of Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H hydrogel materials for 2,6-dibromo-4-nitrophenol (DBNP), 2,4,6-triiodophenol (TIP), 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (TCP) and 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol (DCNP). The findings indicated that the material exhibited the eradication efficiency of about 662, 657, 647 and 617 mg/g from DBNP, TIP, TCP and DCNP respectively. Several adsorption isotherms were extensively examined, encompassing the Temkin, Langmuir and Freundlich models, alongside pseudo-first and second-order models. The Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models showed the highest degree of consistency with the observed data. Concerning regeneration and reusability, the materials demonstrated easy regeneration and effective recyclability over the course of 10 cycles. The notable adsorption capacity, coupled with the innovative combination of Ti3C2/Bi2S3 and polymer hydrogel, along with its recyclability, positions our material Ti3C2/Bi2S3@SA-H as a highly prospective competitors for wastewater treatment and other critical areas in water research. [Display omitted] •Bi2S3 nanoflowers were in situ anchored on the surface of Ti3C2 via a hydrothermal process.•MXene-supported Ti3C2/Bi2S3 nanocomposite, incorporated inside in sodium alginate polymer to prepared hydrogel.•The prepared hydrogel materials serve as adsorbent toward DBP with promising potential applications.•The hydrogel absorbent demonstrates enhanced pollutants removal ability and significant regeneration capability.