Review—Recent Trends on the Synthesis and Different Characterization Tools for MXenes and their Emerging Applications

Abstract

In the past couple of years, there are critical developments and advances in chemistry and potential applications of 2 dimensional materials (2D). 2D materials have went ahead for novel areas of research in material science after the development of graphene. As a consequence, another group of 2D materials, MXene was developed and transforming this field of study. MXene’s have been synthesized and reported in 2011 which explored more potential applications of these materials in all fields of science and technology. This review was written to highlight the on-going progress in the synthesis, characterization tools, biotechnological and biomedical uses of MXenes which are 2D carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides of transition metals. We have taken examples of MXene to discuss how it can be analysed by using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). These methods could be utilized to acknowledge if the precursor (MAX phase) is appropriate for MXene synthesis and authenticate efficacious synthesis of MXene along with its arrangement, physical features and properties. We have also highlighted the wide scope of bio-imaging, biotechnological, biomedical, and environmental uses of MXenes, their derivatives, and MXene-based composites. In addition, various characterization techniques used for MXene analysis have been briefly discussed. We underline that utilization of MXenes, in present day’s biotechnology research, is still very much in its early stages, therefore scientific processes must be standardized and improved.