Applications of MXenes in hydrogen evolution/oxygen evolution and nitrogen reduction reactions

Abstract

Extensive exploration has been conducted on MXenes to comprehend their inherent physical and chemical properties, leading to the discovery of their diverse functional applications across various domains. MXenes have been investigated for hydrogen production and storage applications with nitrogen reduction, showing promising adsorption capacities and kinetics. With continued innovation and collaboration, MXenes hold the potential to drive the transition towards a sustainable hydrogen economy. Their use in catalysis is especially intriguing due to their active surfaces, which offer ample opportunities for the catalytic HER, OER and NRR. By leveraging the unique properties of MXenes, efforts have been made to produce cost-effective and scalable solutions for hydrogen evolution and storage. However, despite their potential, numerous critical issues persist in both theoretical understanding and experimental implementation, hindering their practical applications. One such challenge lies in the development of efficient and scalable methods for producing MXenes in an environmentally friendly manner. Given the current limitations in production volume, leveraging MXenes as co-catalysts appears promising, requiring only minimal quantities. Furthermore, blending MXenes with other materials to form composites holds promise for enhancing performance. Moving forward, it is imperative to delve deeper into theoretical and experimental investigations addressing these challenges and exploring novel tuning strategies for MXenes.