MXenes: An Emerging Class of Materials for Environmental Remediation

Abstract

MXenes are an intriguing class of two-dimensional early transition metal (M) carbides, nitrides, or blends with surface terminal groups like ‒OH, ‒F, –O, etc. The synthesis of the first MXene Ti3C2 was reported in 2011 from its parent Ti3AlC2 (MAX phase). Since then, MXenes have gained enormous attention for an extensive range of applications due to their peculiar properties, such as high specific surface area, excellent conductivity, tailorable interlayer spacing, tunable surface chemistry with easy functionalization, hydrophilic nature, and good mechanical strength. Considering the rich pool of lucrative properties of MXenes, they have been widely employed in environmental remediation applications such as photocatalysts, membranes, electrochemical separation techniques like capacitive deionization (CDI), and adsorbents for heavy metals, organic dyes, radioactive ions, etc. MXenes have also been studied for utilization in electrocatalytic sensors for pollutant detection, solar desalination, anti-biofouling and antibacterial agents. This book chapter mainly sheds light on the recent advances and accomplishments of MXenes in the aforementioned fields, focusing on improving their properties through various strategies. Moreover, the fundamental aspects, structural features, and different synthesis methodologies of MXenes are summarized. The challenges to overcome and future research directions to realize the full potential of MXene materials for environmental remediation applications are also emphasized.