Engineering of 2D MXene-derived nanocomposites for environment-related interdisciplinary applications

Abstract

There is a booming scientific research community looking into two-dimensional (2D) MXenes with superior physical and chemical characteristics that are potentially applicable in many fields. However, compared to energy conversion and storage, their applications in environment remediation have received much less attention. Hence, this review summarizes the recent progress of 2D MXenes and their derivates adopted for interdisciplinary applications with a focus on environment-related areas, aiming at promoting the diversity of MXenes and providing a refreshing background. Firstly, the properties including excellent electrical conductivity (as high as 15,100 S cm⁻¹), large surface area (100–1,000 m² g⁻¹), tunable surface chemistry (-O, -OH or -F terminal groups), photothermal conversion (∼100 % light-to-heat efficiency) as well as kinetic and thermodynamic stability of 2D MXenes are briefly introduced. The engineering strategies of MXene-derived nanocomposites through the construction of heterostructures, metal/non-metal doping, the introduction of vacancies, strain engineering, and computation modelling are then followed. Finally, we emphasize current advances achieved in versatile applications including metal ions adsorption, photocatalytic organics degradation and CO₂ reduction, solar water desalination, oil/water separation, and gas sensing, where engineering, mechanisms, and performances of different 2D MXene derivates are discussed. It is envisioned that 2D MXenes will become one of the prominent nanomaterials effective for diverse applications in the years to come.