Recent advances in the adsorptive remediation of wastewater using two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXenes): a review

MXenes, since their discovery in 2011, have garnered significant research attention for a variety of applications due to their exciting physico-chemical properties. The presence of polar functional groups, hydrophilicity, tunable surface chemistry, 2D morphology with a large specific surface area, high negative zeta potential and environment-friendly characteristics are some of the important features of MXenes, which make them potential candidates for environmental remediation. This perspective encapsulates the recent progress in the use of MXenes for adsorptive remediation of water. In this work, an overview of the structure of MXenes along with their peculiar surface chemistry is given. Special attention is paid to their applications and the role of surface functional groups in removal of various contaminants including heavy metals, radionuclides, anions and dyes. Furthermore, future perspectives of using 2D MXenes for water-remediation are discussed in detail.