A potentially fruitful path toward a cleaner and safer environment: MXenes uses in environmental remediation

Abstract

The rapid industrialization of the world has resulted in severe environmental pollution, necessitating the development of new materials such as pollution remediation. Two-dimensional (2D) MXenes have emerged as a promising family of materials due to their unique physicochemical properties, making them ideal for environmental remediation. The article sheds light on the new opportunities of MXenes in the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants, including organic dyes, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, radionuclides, and gas pollutants. MXenes also show excellent performance in photocatalytic degradation, adsorption, and microbial inactivation with environmental safety. Moreover, their application in recovering valuable elements from waste streams is also being explored. While these advances are promising, challenges remain in surface chemistry, semiconducting behavior, interfacial effects, and large-scale synthesis. This review highlights the tremendous potential of MXenes in environmental remediation while also outlining the key challenges that need to be resolved to fully realize MXenes capabilities. By providing this comprehensive survey of MXene-based technologies, the paper stimulates further research and innovation in this rapidly evolving field.