Application of Two-Dimensional MXene materials in sensors

Transition metal carbides and nitrides/carbonitrides (MXenes) with satisfactory conductivity, high speci-fic surface area and excellent hydrophilicity have attracted the attention of many researchers in the field of electrochemical sensors in recent years. Etched MXenes usually show an accordion-like morphology; moreover, monolayer MXenes exhibit better electrical conductivity and mechanical properties. The elec-tronic and chemical properties of MXenes can be significantly changed by means of compounding, hybridization and modification. MXenes with large surface areas can be used in biosensors as carriers for recognition elements to achieve direct electron transfer to target analytes. In addition, MXenes exhibit excellent biological compatibility so that they can be incorporated into biological receptors without affecting biological activity. MXenes can be combined with other metal oxide nanoparticles to expand the electrode surface area while reducing the overpotential effect in the electroanalysis process to enhance catalytic activity. MXene-based sensors for detecting strain, pressure, temperature, gas, various biomarkers, and some environmental pollutants, and for use in other major research fields aresummarized. The future challenges in MXenes research, development and applications of electrochemical sensing are discussed.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Transition metal carbides and nitrides/carbonitrides (MXenes) have attracted significant attention in the field of electrochemical sensors due to their conductivity, high surface area, and hydrophilicity. MXenes can be modified to alter their properties and used as carriers for recognition elements in biosensors. They also exhibit excellent biological compatibility and can be combined with metal oxide nanoparticles to enhance catalytic activity. MXene-based sensors have been developed for various applications, including strain, pressure, gas, biomarker, and environmental pollutant detection.