Issue 19, 2023

Recent advances in MXenes: a promising 2D material for photocatalysis

Abstract

Photocatalysis is considered a promising technology for the current environmental crisis and high energy demand caused by industrialization. However, the practical applications and solutions for conventional catalysts are restricted by many limitations, such as poor visible light absorption, wide bandgap, and low surface area of semiconductor photocatalysts. Therefore, developing highly efficient, economical, and noble metal-free catalytic materials containing earth-abundant elements is a hot topic considering photocatalysis for the environmental and energy crises. Two-dimensional (2D) MXenes (transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides) are excellent photocatalysts due to their abundant surface groups, interlayer interactions, and adaptable interlayer spacing, and have drawn the most interest in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, hydrogen evolution reactions, photocatalytic degradation reactions, and nitrogen fixation. However, there are still difficulties that prevent their potential application at the moment, with material stability ranking as the biggest one. In this review, we focus on the recent development of the synthesis and properties of MXenes for various environmental and energy demands. The current challenges and the future possible directions to develop and enhance the catalytic performance of MXene catalysts are explained.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in MXenes: a promising 2D material for photocatalysis

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
28 Feb 2023
Accepted
22 May 2023
First published
25 May 2023

Mater. Chem. Front., 2023,7, 4184-4201

Recent advances in MXenes: a promising 2D material for photocatalysis

N. Shah, X. Wang and J. Tian, Mater. Chem. Front., 2023, 7, 4184 DOI: 10.1039/D3QM00216K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements