A review on 2D transition metal nitrides: Structural and morphological impacts on energy storage and photocatalytic applications

Transition Metal Nitrides (TMNs) are an emerging class of materials in the modern world with potential applications in energy generation, storage, and conversion. Significant attention has been devoted to two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials owing to their numerous advantages, including high surface area, me-chanical strength, conductivity, and versatility in terms of functionalization with a variety of chemical groups. The potential benefits of incorporating TMN into 2D structures make this an alluring avenue for exploration. However, research on 2D TMNs has been limited due to the difficulty in their synthesis. This review comprehensively examines various 2D TMNs based on their structure, morphology, and optical properties, and discusses the challenges in synthesizing them and attempts to overcome these limitations. The review also covers the electrochemical and photocatalytic capabilities of different TMNs and how these properties are affected by their structure and morphology. Furthermore, the review identifies the areas that require further improvement and discusses the challenges that need to be addressed to advance the re-search on 2D TMNs. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Transition Metal Nitrides (TMNs) are emerging materials with potential applications in energy generation, storage, and conversion. 2D nanomaterials have attracted significant attention due to their advantages in terms of high surface area, mechanical strength, conductivity, and versatility. However, research on 2D TMNs has been limited due to synthesis difficulties. This review comprehensively examines the structure, morphology, and optical properties of various 2D TMNs, discusses synthesis challenges and attempts to overcome them, and explores the electrochemical and photocatalytic capabilities of TMNs and their dependency on structure and morphology.