Retrospective insights into recent MXene-based catalysts for CO 2 electro/photoreduction: how far have we gone?

• Published in: Nanoscale 2023-04, Vol.15 (14), p.6536-6562
• Main Authors: Tan, Xin-Quan, Mo, Wuwei, Lin, Xinlong, Loh, Jian Yiing, Mohamed, Abdul Rahman, Ong, Wee-Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05718b

The electro/photocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CO RR) is a long-term avenue toward synthesizing renewable fuels and value-added chemicals, as well as addressing the global energy crisis and environmental challenges. As a result, current research studies have focused on investigating new materials and implementing numerous fabrication approaches to increase the catalytic performances of electro/photocatalysts toward the CO RR. MXenes, also known as 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, are intriguing materials with outstanding traits. Since their discovery in 2011, there has been a flurry of interest in MXenes in electrocatalysis and photocatalysis, owing to their several benefits, including high mechanical strength, tunable structure, surface functionality, high specific surface area, and remarkable electrical conductivity. Herein, this review serves as a milestone for the most recent development of MXene-based catalysts for the electrocatalytic and photocatalytic CO RR. The overall structure of MXenes is described, followed by a summary of several synthesis pathways classified as top-down and bottom-up approaches, including HF-etching, HF-formation, electrochemical etching, and halogen etching. Additionally, the state-of-the-art development in the field of both the electrocatalytic and photocatalytic CO RR is systematically reviewed. Surface termination modulation and heterostructure engineering of MXene-based electro/photocatalysts, and insights into the reaction mechanism for the comprehension of the structure-performance relationship from the CO RR density functional theory (DFT) have been underlined toward activity enhancement. Finally, imperative issues together with future perspectives associated with MXene-based electro/photocatalysts are proposed.