Recent advances and perspectives of emerging two-dimensional transition metal carbide/nitride-based materials for organic pollutant photocatalysis

Emerging two-dimensional transition metal carbide/nitride (MXene) based materials have garnered multidisciplinary attention over the past several years because of their tunable structures, large specific surface area, abundant surface functional groups, superior electronic conductivity and capability to construct macroscopic architectures. These features make MXene a suitable catalyst platform to generate reactive species in photocatalytic oxidation technology. This review outlines the fabrication strategies, morphological structures, electronic properties and applications of MXene based materials for photocatalysis in the treatment of recalcitrant organic pollutants (dyes, phenols, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals). The synthetic strategies of MXene and its derivatives have been highlighted to emphasize the importance of etching techniques. In particular, several strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of MXene by coupling it with other semiconductors and the relevant photocatalytic mechanisms have been elucidated in detail. The application prospects and challenges of MXene supported semiconductors to develop superior photocatalysts for purifying organic polluted water are forecast in this review.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the fabrication strategies, morphological structures, electronic properties, and applications of MXene based materials as catalyst platforms for photocatalytic oxidation technology in the treatment of recalcitrant organic pollutants. The importance of etching techniques in the synthesis of MXene and its derivatives is highlighted. Various strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of MXene by coupling it with other semiconductors and the relevant photocatalytic mechanisms are elucidated. The application prospects and challenges of MXene supported semiconductors for purifying organic polluted water are forecasted in this review.