Review
MXenes—A New Class of Two-Dimensional Materials: Structure, Properties and Potential Applications
Maksym Pogorielov 1,2,* , Kateryna Smyrnova 1 , Sergiy Kyrylenko 1, Oleksiy Gogotsi 3,4,
Veronika Zahorodna 3,4 and Alexander Pogrebnjak 1,5
1 Department of Nanoelectronics and Surface Modification, Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology, Sumy State University, 40007 Sumy, Ukraine
2Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy, University of Latvia, LV 1586 Riga, Latvia
3 Materials Research Centre, 03142 Kyiv, Ukraine
4 CARBON-UKRAINE Ltd., 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine
5 Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
Academic Editors: Bin Yu, Xiaodong Qian and Saihua Jiang
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(12), 3412; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11123412
Received: 23 November 2021 / Revised: 8 December 2021 / Accepted: 14 December 2021 / Published: 16 December 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoengineering of 2D MXene-Based Materials)
Abstract
A new class of two-dimensional nanomaterials, MXenes, which are carbides/nitrides/carbonitrides of transition and refractory metals, has been critically analyzed. Since the synthesis of the first family member in 2011 by Yury Gogotsi and colleagues, MXenes have quickly become attractive for a variety of research fields due to their exceptional properties. Despite the fact that this new family of 2D materials was discovered only about ten years ago, the number of scientific publications related to MXene almost doubles every year. Thus, in 2021 alone, more than 2000 papers are expected to be published, which indicates the relevance and prospects of MXenes. The current paper critically analyzes the structural features, properties, and methods of synthesis of MXenes based on recent available research data. We demonstrate the recent trends of MXene applications in various fields, such as environmental pollution removal and water desalination, energy storage and harvesting, quantum dots, sensors, electrodes, and optical devices. We focus on the most important medical applications: photo-thermal cancer therapy, diagnostics, and antibacterial treatment. The first results on obtaining and studying the structure of high-entropy MXenes are also presented.
Keywords: MXene; two-dimensional materials; carbides; properties; selective etching