Positioning MXenes in the Photocatalysis Landscape: Competitiveness, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

MXenes are becoming a worthy contender for boosting the efficacy of semiconductor photocatalysts because of their rich surface and electronic properties, which is exemplified to be a dynamic yet open-ended exploration of the materials space. Herein, the promise that MXenes hold for photocatalytic applications is elucidated by presenting the various roles of MXenes in the preparation of composite photocatalysts and enhancing their activity and stability. A specific focus is put on the key issues that should be taken into account when utilizing the specific function of MXenes and the strategies to deliver the great potential of MXenes into better play. The discussion is based on different aspects closely related to the flexible surface and electronic features of MXenes, including their morphology control, stability issue, and electronic structure mutability with the purpose to present an objective and comprehensive scenario of MXenes for photocatalysis. Finally, some noteworthy research directions for the future development of MXenes-based photocatalytic systems are outlined and prospected. This review is expected to provide a useful scaffold for the rational design and synthesis of efficient and stable MXenes-based photocatalysts by objectively understanding and taming the functional vitality of MXenes.