MXenes and their interfaces for the taming of carbon dioxide & nitrate: A critical review

Rapid industrialization and urban development release large amounts of toxic pollutants such as nitrate (NO3-) and CO2, which cause not only environmental issues but also offer reasons of sickness worldwide. Several methods have been devised to purify air and water in the past 2 decades but went futile because of high cost, low-performance, and cause secondary pollutants. Converting NO3- and CO2 photochemically and electrochemically into energy-rich molecules and agro-boosters is an innovative strategy that can help with environmental remediation and meet the world's growing energy needs. However, these approaches require highly active, selective, and long-lasting catalysts. In this context, researchers have studied several smart and multifunctional materials for the reduction of NO3- and CO2 pollutants into valuable chemicals. Among them, MXenes, a class of 2D materials composed of carbonitrides, carbides, and nitrides of transition metals, have gained attention because of their remarkable physico-chemical, mechanical, and electrochemical properties. However, quantization of MXenes for photo and electrocatalytic NO3- and CO2, reduction is required, and the lessons learned must be applied to future MXenebased materials. This article focuses primarily on the photocatalytic and electrocatalytic conversion of NO3- and CO2 to value-added products, highlighting MXene-based catalysts, reaction intermediates, links between the tuneable properties of MXenes and their catalytic activities, research hurdles, and future prospects. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Rapid industrialization and urban development lead to the release of toxic pollutants, including nitrate (NO3-) and CO2, causing environmental issues and global illness. Previous purification methods were ineffective due to high cost, low-performance, and secondary pollution. Converting NO3- and CO2 photochemically and electrochemically into energy-rich molecules is an innovative strategy for environmental remediation and meeting energy needs. MXenes, a class of 2D materials, have gained attention for their remarkable properties in catalytic conversion. This article focuses on the conversion of NO3- and CO2 to valuable products, highlighting MXene-based catalysts and future prospects.