Enhanced photocatalytic, dielectric, and ferromagnetic properties of Mn-doped KNbO3/Ti3C2

Title : Enhanced photocatalytic, dielectric, and ferromagnetic properties of Mn-doped KNbO3/Ti3C2

Abstract:

Potassium Niobate, a lead-free perovskite material with high stability, non-toxicity, and chemical inertness, has gathered significant attention for energy storage and conversion, as well as photocatalytic applications. KNb1-xMnxO3/Ti3C2 nanohybrid was synthesized via a conventional hydrothermal method, substituting Mn for niobium at the niobium site of KNbO3. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the nanohybrid at room temperature confirmed the presence of pure single-phase KNbO3 in all hybrid samples, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study showed that Mn-doped KNbO3 particles were homogeneously and intimately embedded within the nanosheets of MXene. The room temperature ferromagnetism reveals the presence of Mn doping at the Nb site. The photocatalytic activity was observed by the degradation of antibiotics under UV and visible lights. The results showed that nearly 70–80% of Ciprofloxacin and 60% of Levofloxacin were degraded within 3 h. These results demonstrate that KNb1-xMnxO3/Ti3C2 nanohybrids exhibit robust enhanced photocatalytic, dielectric, and ferromagnetic properties, rendering them multifunctional materials suitable for high-performance energy storage capacitors, energy harvesting, and photocatalysis.

Keywords: KNbO3, Ti3C2 Mxene, Ferromagnetic, Photocatalytic, Energy storage.

Biography:

Saman Zahra is a Master's student in Materials Science and Engineering at the School of Materials and Chemistry, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, Sichuan, China. She received her bachelor's degree from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. She was awarded the Southwest University of Science and Technology Scholarship for International Students (First Prize) for the period 2024–2026. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of MXene-based nanocomposites for advanced energy storage and wastewater treatment applications. She has published two SCI-indexed research articles as a first author, on enhanced ferromagnetic and photocatalytic properties of MXene-based nanocomposites, with a combined impact factor of 15.6. In 2025, she received the Sichuan Provincial Government Scholarship in recognition of her outstanding academic performance and research achievements. Her current research interests include ferroelectric materials, perovskite materials, MXenes, and energy storage materials.