MXene: Broad Use in Biomedical Applications

MXene is a two-dimensional transition metal carbide or nitride that is widely used in many fields due to its unique physical and chemical properties. Here are some of the main applications of MXene:

Energy storage and conversion: MXene shows great potential in the field of energy storage and conversion. MXene has high conductivity, high specific surface area and excellent mechanical strength, which makes it perform well in a variety of energy storage devices such as supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, etc.

The application of MXene in supercapacitors is mainly due to its high specific surface area and fast ion transport ability. Studies have shown that MXene-based supercapacitors can provide high energy density and fast charge and discharge rates, which makes it an effective way to solve the problem of energy storage efficiency. In addition, MXene can be further improved by compounding with other materials such as carbon nanotubes and metal oxides.

In lithium-ion batteries, MXene has been widely studied as an electrode material due to its high lithium-ion storage capacity and good thermal stability. For example, MXene and SnO₂ composites show excellent electrochemical properties in lithium-ion battery negative electrode applications. In addition, MXene is also used in new battery technologies such as lithium-sulfur batteries and zinc-air batteries, showing good application prospects.

In addition to its application in electrochemical energy storage, MXene also shows great potential in the field of thermoelectric conversion. Through optimized design, MXene-based composites have achieved high energy conversion efficiency in low-temperature thermoelectric conversion, opening up a new path for the application of high-performance thermoelectric materials.

Sensors: MXene has been widely used in the field of sensors. MXene sensors can be used for a variety of sensing tasks, including gas detection, water quality monitoring, environmental monitoring, pressure sensing, strain sensing, and temperature sensing. These sensors take advantage of the high sensitivity and wide range detection capabilities of MXene, making it have important application prospects in biomedical imaging, electromagnetic interference shielding, and wearable devices.

The research on MXene sensors involves a variety of sensing mechanisms, including optical, electrical, chemical resistance, mechanical conversion, fluorescence, and electrochemistry. For example, MXene-based gas sensors can detect harmful gases such as methanol, toluene, and acetone with high selectivity and low detection limits. In addition, MXene can also be compounded with other materials to enhance the performance of sensors, such as polymers to form flexible sensors for monitoring human motion and physiological signals.

MXene sensors are also used to develop smart bionic devices, such as smart eardrums and artificial muscles, which can simulate human sensory functions and provide support for neural network encoding and learning. In addition, MXene-based sensors also show great potential in the era of the Internet of Things because they can achieve lightweight, wearable and degradable functions.

Electromagnetic shielding: MXene has attracted widespread attention due to its excellent electromagnetic shielding performance. MXene materials have extremely high conductivity and good mechanical properties, which have significant application potential in the field of electromagnetic shielding. For example, when the thickness of Ti₃C₂T_x film is only 45 microns, its electromagnetic shielding coefficient can reach 92 dB, which is even better than that of metallic copper of the same thickness.

MXene's electromagnetic shielding performance is mainly due to its high conductivity and the presence of surface polar groups, which help dissipate incident electromagnetic waves. In addition, MXene can also achieve reversible regulation of electromagnetic shielding capabilities through electrochemical regulation, such as the transition from EMI shielding film to EM wave transparent film through electrochemical oxidation.

MXene materials can also be compounded with other materials to improve their electromagnetic shielding effectiveness. For example, MXene and polymer composites (such as polyurethane, polyaniline, etc.) show excellent electromagnetic shielding performance and these composites have good flexibility and low density. In addition, MXene can also be compounded with other two-dimensional materials such as graphene to further improve the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness.

Biomedical applications: After surface modification and functionalization, MXene can be used in antibacterial agents, bioimaging, tumor diagnosis and treatment, etc. MXene has a high specific surface area, good conductivity and photothermal properties, which gives it significant advantages in biomedical applications.

MXene performs well in drug delivery systems, can encapsulate a variety of drugs and release them at a controllable rate, and effectively deliver drugs to target tissues. In addition, MXene's high surface area and ability to bind to drugs make it show great potential as a drug delivery carrier for anticancer treatment. MXene is also explored as an imaging agent for cancer diagnosis and monitoring.

MXene also has important applications in the field of biosensing. Its high sensitivity and stability make it an ideal material for biosensors, which can be used to detect biomolecules such as glucose, DNA and proteins. MXene-based field-effect transistors also show high temporal resolution and sensitivity in real-time detection of neural activity.

In tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, MXene has shown the ability to promote cell adhesion and proliferation, and enhance the potential of stem cells to differentiate into specific cell types. MXene has also been used to construct scaffolds to assist in the repair of damaged or diseased tissues. In addition, MXene nanomaterials have also shown good results in skin wound repair, especially in the treatment of complex chronic wounds.

In the field of antibacterial, MXene is expected to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi due to its large specific surface area and the feasibility of chemical manipulation and functionalization. MXene-based nanostructures can also be used to construct intelligent delivery systems for antiviral or antibacterial drugs.

Composite materials: MXene has been widely studied and applied in the field of composite materials in recent years due to its unique layered structure and excellent conductivity, mechanical properties and thermal stability. MXene can form various types of composite materials with other materials to improve its performance.

Studies on MXene and polymer composites have shown that the addition of MXene can significantly improve the mechanical properties of polymer materials. For example, adding MXene to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene can increase the yield strength of the material. In addition, MXene can also be combined with natural polymer materials such as cellulose to form composite materials with renewable, low-cost and biocompatible properties.

In the field of energy storage, MXene-based composite materials also show great potential. For example, MXene combined with fillers such as carbon nanotubes or metal oxides can improve its electrochemical properties, making it show excellent energy storage capacity in supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries. In particular, the composite materials formed by combining MXene with metal oxides show good capacitance characteristics in supercapacitor electrode materials.

In addition, MXene is also used to make composite materials with electromagnetic interference shielding functions. Due to its good conductivity and layered structure, MXene-based composite materials perform well in electromagnetic interference shielding.

Water treatment: MXene is widely used in the field of water treatment due to its high adsorption capacity, high conductivity and hydrophilicity. The application of MXene in water treatment mainly includes seawater desalination, wastewater treatment and removal of pollutants such as heavy metals and antibiotics in water.

MXene membranes are used in seawater desalination and wastewater treatment due to their excellent separation properties and high permeability. For example, Ti₃C₂T_x MXene membranes achieve efficient ion separation through size and charge screening mechanisms, showing ultrafast water transport capabilities. In addition, MXene-based membranes also perform well in removing heavy metal ions, such as MXene/PVDF composite membranes that perform well in separating and removing K+/Pb²⁺ ions.

MXene is also used to remove antibiotics and heavy metals from water. Studies have shown that MXene-based membranes have high separation efficiencies of up to 99% in removing antibiotics and heavy metals. For example, Fe₃O₄@MXene composite nanofiltration membranes can efficiently remove Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cr⁶⁺ ions. In addition, MXene-based materials also show potential in photocatalytic degradation of water pollutants and can be used as co-catalysts to improve photocatalytic efficiency.

MXene has great application potential in the field of water treatment, especially in desalination, wastewater treatment, and removal of heavy metals and antibiotics. However, in order to achieve its commercial application, it is necessary to solve ecological problems in the production process and increase production.

Optoelectronic devices: MXene shows great application potential in many fields such as energy storage, catalysis, electromagnetic shielding, and sensors. The application of MXene materials in optoelectronic devices has also been widely studied and explored, especially in photodetectors.

The application of MXene materials in photodetectors is mainly reflected in their excellent optoelectronic properties and conductivity. The research on MXene-based photodetectors focuses on metallic MXene, which can form band structures and work functions suitable for light detection by adjusting its composition and surface termination. For example, MXene is combined with III-V semiconductor materials to prepare Ti₃C₂T_x/GaN heterojunctions, realizing high-efficiency ultraviolet diodes, showing typical rectification characteristics and excellent spontaneous response and detection capabilities. In addition, MXene can also be combined with other materials (such as graphene, gallium arsenide, etc.) to further improve the performance of photodetectors.

The application of MXene materials in flexible photodetectors has also received widespread attention. Researchers deposit multiple MXene sheets through drop casting, spraying or spin coating strategies to detect the photoresponse performance of multilayer MXene and explore the influence of thickness. For example, large-area photodetector arrays are prepared using spraying technology, and new photodetectors are developed using the excellent optical transmittance and mechanical strength of MXene.

Catalysis: MXene materials can be used as efficient photocatalysts and electrocatalysts due to their unique two-dimensional layered structure and excellent electrical conductivity. For example, in the field of photocatalysis, MXene can improve charge separation and inhibit charge recombination, thereby improving photocatalytic performance. In addition, MXene can also be used as a co-catalyst to enhance photocatalytic performance by improving charge separation and inhibiting charge recombination.

In terms of electrocatalysis, MXene exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Studies have shown that MXene-based catalysts have excellent HER kinetics, Tafel slopes, and stability in acidic and alkaline electrolysis environments. MXene can also be further improved by surface modification or composite with other metals to improve its electrocatalytic performance.

In addition, MXene is also used in heterogeneous catalytic reactions such as carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO_2RR), nitrogen reduction reaction (N_2RR), and degradation of pollutants. These applications demonstrate the great potential of MXene in environmental governance and renewable energy.