MXene-Polymer Nanocomposites for High-Efficiency Photocatalytic Antibiotic Degradation Review: Microstructure Control, Environmental Adaptability and Future Prospects.

Abstract

The efficient degradation of antibiotics in pharmaceutical wastewater remains a critical challenge against environmental contaminants. Conventional photocatalysts face potential limitations such as narrow visible-light absorption, rapid carrier recombination, and reliance on precious metal cocatalysts. This review investigates the coordination structure of MXene as a cocatalyst to synergistically enhance photocatalytic antibiotic degradation efficiency and the coordination structure modification mechanisms. MXene's tunable bandgap (0.92-1.75 eV), exceptional conductivity (100-20,000 S/cm), and abundant surface terminations (-O, -OH, -F) enable the construction of Schottky or Z-scheme heterojunctions with semiconductors (Cu₂O, TiO₂, g-C₃N₄), achieving 50-70% efficiency improvement compared to pristine semiconductors. The "electron sponge" effect of MXene suppresses electron-hole recombination by 3-5 times, while its surface functional groups dynamically optimize pollutant adsorption. Notably, MXene's localized surface plasmon resonance extends light harvesting from visible (400-800 nm) to near-infrared regions (800-2000 nm), tripling photon utilization efficiency. Theoretical simulations demonstrate that d-orbital electronic configurations and terminal groups cooperatively regulate catalytic active sites at atomic scales. The MXene composites demonstrate remarkable environmental stability, maintaining over 90% degradation efficiency of antibiotic under high salinity (2 M NaCl) and broad pH range (4-10). Future research should prioritize green synthesis protocols and mechanistic investigations of interfacial dynamics in multicomponent wastewater systems to facilitate engineering applications. This work provides fundamental insights into designing MXene-based photocatalysts for sustainable water purification.