Ultrathin Ti2NTx MXene-wrapped MOF-derived CoP frameworks towards hydrogen evolution and water oxidation

Prussian blue analogue-derived CoP nanocubes supported on MXene toward an efficient bifunctional electrode with enhanced overall water splitting

The exploration of bifunctional catalyst with economic, durable, and efficient performance plays a crucial role to boost both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in overall water splitting. Herein, we report a feasible strategy to design effective heterostructure between CoP and Ti3C2Tx MXene (denoted as CoP/Ti3C2Tx). This approach allows for the growth of CoP nanoparticles with uniform size of 5 nm on the Ti3C2Tx MXene, further enhancing the water electrolysis efficiency. The CoP/Ti3C2Tx bifunctional catalyst demonstrates an exceptional HER activity with a satisfactory overpotential of 103 mV at 10 mA cm-2, and also can drive 10 mA cm-2 for OER with the overpotential of 312 mV in 1.0 M KOH. Moreover, the CoP/Ti3C2Tx-based electrolyzer exhibits high electrochemical stability for 24 h with a low required voltage of 1.66 V at 10 mA cm-2. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the introduction of Ti3C2Tx MXene significantly adjusts d-band center towards Fermi level and expand total density of states, resulting in great electrical conductivity, enhanced water adsorption, and activation. This study provides an available mode for effective design and construction of non-noble-metal-based dual-functional catalyst toward practical energy conversion.

Oxygen-Bridged Cobalt-Chromium Atomic Pair in MOF-Derived Cobalt Phosphide Networks as Efficient Active Sites Enabling Synergistic Electrocatalytic Water Splitting in Alkaline Media

Electrochemical water splitting offers a most promising pathway for "green hydrogen" generation. Even so, it remains a struggle to improve the electrocatalytic performance of non-noble metal catalysts, especially bifunctional electrocatalysts. Herein, aiming to accelerate the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, an oxygen-bridged cobalt-chromium (Co-O-Cr) dual-sites catalyst anchored on cobalt phosphide synthesized through MOF-mediation are proposed. By utilizing the filling characteristics of 3d orbitals and modulated local electronic structure of the catalytic active site, the well-designed catalyst requires only an external voltage of 1.53 V to deliver the current density of 20 mA cm-2 during the process of water splitting apart from the superb HER and OER activity with a low overpotential of 87 and 203 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 , respectively. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are utilized to unravel mechanistic investigations, including the accelerated adsorption and dissociation process of H2 O on the Co-O-Cr moiety surface, the down-shifted d-band center, a lowered energy barrier for the OER and so on. This work offers a design direction for optimizing catalytic activity toward energy conversion.

Research progress on MOFs and their derivatives as promising and efficient electrode materials for electrocatalytic hydrogen production from water

Hydrogen energy is considered to be the most potential "ultimate energy source" due to its high combustion calorific value, cleanliness, and pollution-free characteristics. Furthermore, the production of hydrogen via the electrolysis of water has the advantages of simplicity, high efficiency, environmentally safe, and high-purity hydrogen. However, it is also associated with issues such as high-power consumption for the reaction and limited large-scale application of noble metal catalysts. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous composite materials composed of metal ions and organic functional groups through orderly coordination with large specific surface areas and large porosity. Herein, we focus on the research status of MOFs and their transition metal derivatives for electrocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen and briefly describe the reaction mechanism and evaluation parameters of the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions. Furthermore, the relationship between the catalytic behavior and catalytic activity of different MOF-based catalysts and their morphology, elemental composition, and synthetic strategy is analyzed and discussed. The reasons for the excellent activity and poor stability of the original MOF materials for the electrolysis of water reaction are shown through analysis, and using various means to improve the catalytic activity by changing the electronic structure, active sites, and charge transfer rate, MOF-based catalysts were obtained. Finally, we present perspectives on the future development of MOFs for the electrocatalytic decomposition of water.

Principles of Design and Synthesis of Metal Derivatives from MOFs

Materials derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have demonstrated exceptional structural variety and complexity and can be synthesized using low-cost scalable methods. Although the inherent instability and low electrical conductivity of MOFs are largely responsible for their low uptake for catalysis and energy storage, a superior alternative is MOF-derived metal-based derivatives (MDs) as these can retain the complex nanostructures of MOFs while exhibiting stability and electrical conductivities of several orders of magnitude higher. The present work comprehensively reviews MDs in terms of synthesis and their nanostructural design, including oxides, sulfides, phosphides, nitrides, carbides, transition metals, and other minor species. The focal point of the approach is the identification and rationalization of the design parameters that lead to the generation of optimal compositions, structures, nanostructures, and resultant performance parameters. The aim of this approach is to provide an inclusive platform for the strategies to design and process these materials for specific applications. This work is complemented by detailed figures that both summarize the design and processing approaches that have been reported and indicate potential trajectories for development. The work is also supported by comprehensive and up-to-date tabular coverage of the reported studies.

Recent Advances and Perspectives of Lewis Acidic Etching Route: An Emerging Preparation Strategy for MXenes

Since the discovery in 2011, MXenes have become the rising star in the field of two-dimensional materials. Benefiting from the metallic-level conductivity, large and adjustable gallery spacing, low ion diffusion barrier, rich surface chemistry, superior mechanical strength, MXenes exhibit great application prospects in energy storage and conversion, sensors, optoelectronics, electromagnetic interference shielding and biomedicine. Nevertheless, two issues seriously deteriorate the further development of MXenes. One is the high experimental risk of common preparation methods such as HF etching, and the other is the difficulty in obtaining MXenes with controllable surface groups. Recently, Lewis acidic etching, as a brand-new preparation strategy for MXenes, has attracted intensive attention due to its high safety and the ability to endow MXenes with uniform terminations. However, a comprehensive review of Lewis acidic etching method has not been reported yet. Herein, we first introduce the Lewis acidic etching from the following four aspects: etching mechanism, terminations regulation, in-situ formed metals and delamination of multi-layered MXenes. Further, the applications of MXenes and MXene-based hybrids obtained by Lewis acidic etching route in energy storage and conversion, sensors and microwave absorption are carefully summarized. Finally, some challenges and opportunities of Lewis acidic etching strategy are also presented.

Recent advances in the synthesis and electrocatalytic application of MXene materials

MXenes are a class of two-dimensional materials with a graphene-like structure, which have excellent optical, biological, thermodynamic, electrical and magnetic properties. Due to the diversity resulting from the combination of transition metals and C/N, the MXene family has expanded to more than 30 members and been applied in many fields with broad application prospects. Among their applications, electrocatalytic applications have achieved many breakthroughs. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the reports on the preparation of MXenes and their application in electrocatalysis published in the last five years and describe the two main methods for the preparation of MXenes, i.e., bottom-up and top to bottom synthesis. Different methods may change the structure or surface termination of MXenes, and accordingly affect their electrocatalytic performance. Furthermore, we highlight the application of MXenes in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR), nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), and multi-functionalization. It can be concluded that the electrocatalytic properties of MXenes can be modified by changing the type of functional groups or doping. Also, MXenes can be compounded with other materials to produce electronic coupling and improve the catalytic activity and stability of the resulting composites. In addition, Mo₂C and Ti₃C₂ are two types of MXene materials that have been widely studied in the field of electrocatalysis. At present, research on the synthesis of MXenes is focused on carbides, whereas research on nitrides is rare, and there are no synthesis methods meeting the requirements of green, safety, high efficiency and industrialization simultaneously. Therefore, it is very important to explore environmentally friendly industrial production routes and devote more research efforts to the synthesis of MXene nitrides.

Microorganisms@aMIL-125 (Ti): An Amorphous Metal-Organic Framework Induced by Microorganisms and Their Applications

Amorphous metal-organic framework (aMOF)-based materials have attracted considerable attention as an emerging class of nanomaterials. Herein, novel microorganisms@aMIL-125 (Ti) composites including yeast@aMIL-125 (Ti), PCC 6803@aMIL-125 (Ti), and Escherichia coli@aMIL-125 (Ti) composites were respectively synthesized by self-assembling aMOFs on the microorganisms' surface. The functional groups on the microorganisms' surface induced structural defects and participated in the formation of aMIL-125 (Ti) composites. Finally, the application of microorganisms@aMIL-125 (Ti) composites for the removal of glyphosate from aqueous solution was selected as a model reaction to illustrate their potential for environmental protection. The present method is not only economical but also has other advantages including ease of operation, environmentally friendly assay, and high adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of aMIL-125 (Ti) was 1096.25 mg g^-1, which was 1.74 times that of crystalline MIL-125 (Ti). Therefore, the microorganisms@aMOFs composites will have broad application prospects in energy storage, drug delivery, catalysis, adsorbing toxic substances, sensing, encapsulating and delivering enzymes, and in other fields.

2D MXene Nanomaterials as Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER): A Review

MXenes, a novel family of 2D transition metal carbide, nitride and carbonitride materials, have been gaining tremendous interest in recent days as potential electrocatalysts for various electrochemical reactions, including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). MXenes are characterized by their etchable metal layers, excellent structural stability, versatility for heteroatoms doping, excellent electronic conductivity, unique surface functional groups and admirable surface area, suitable for the role of electrocatalyst/support in electrochemical reactions, such as HER. In this review article, we summarized recent developments in MXene-based electrocatalysts synthesis and HER performance in terms of the theoretical and experimental point of view. We systematically evaluated the superiority of the MXene-based catalysts over traditional Pt/C catalysts in terms of HER kinetics, Tafel slope, overpotential and stability, both in acidic and alkaline electrolytic environments. We also pointed out the motives behind the electro catalytic enhancements, the effect of synthesis conditions, heteroatom doping, the effect of surface terminations on the electrocatalytic active sites of various MXenes families. At the end, various possible approaches were recommended for a deeper understanding of the active sites and catalytic improvement of MXenes catalysts for HER.

Development of Binder-Free Three-Dimensional Honeycomb-like Porous Ternary Layered Double Hydroxide-Embedded MXene Sheets for Bi-Functional Overall Water Splitting Reactions

In this study, a honeycomb-like porous-structured nickel-iron-cobalt layered double hydroxide/Ti₃C₂T_x (NiFeCo-LDH@MXene) composite was successfully fabricated on a three-dimensional nickel foam using a simple hydrothermal approach. Owing to their distinguishable characteristics, the fabricated honeycomb porous-structured NiFeCo-LDH@MXene composites exhibited outstanding bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for pair hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions in alkaline medium. The developed NiFeCo-LDH@MXene electrocatalyst required low overpotentials of 130 and 34 mV to attain a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 for OER and HER, respectively. Furthermore, an assembled NiFeCo-LDH@MXene‖NiFeCo-LDH@MXene device exhibited a cell voltage of 1.41 V for overall water splitting with a robust firmness for over 24 h to reach 10 mA cm^-2 current density, signifying outstanding performance for water splitting reactions. These results demonstrated the promising potential of the designed 3D porous NiFeCo-LDH@MXene sheets as outstanding candidates to replace future green energy conversion devices.

Element-Doped Mxenes: Mechanism, Synthesis, and Applications

Heteroatom doping can endow MXenes with various new or improved electromagnetic, physicochemical, optical, and structural properties. This greatly extends the arsenal of MXenes materials and their potential for a spectrum of applications. This article comprehensively and critically discusses the syntheses, properties, and emerging applications of the growing family of heteroatom-doped MXenes materials. First, the doping strategies, synthesis methods, and theoretical simulations of high-performance MXenes materials are summarized. In order to achieve high-performance MXenes materials, the mechanism of atomic element doping from three aspects of lattice optimization, functional substitution, and interface modification is analyzed and summarized, aiming to provide clues for developing new and controllable synthetic routes. The mechanisms underlying their advantageous uses for energy storage, catalysis, sensors, environmental purification and biomedicine are highlighted. Finally, future opportunities and challenges for the study and application of multifunctional high-performance MXenes are presented. This work could open up new prospects for the development of high-performance MXenes.

Holdups in Nitride MXene's Development and Limitations in Advancing the Field of MXene

As nanomaterials are becoming a key component in various electronics, 2D nanomaterials are emerging and attracting tremendous attention in the scientific community due to their unique physical, chemical, and structural properties. In recent years, a new family of 2D carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, has become the center of attention for many electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. While nitride MXenes have some publications centered around them, the overwhelming majority revolve around carbide and their direct application to systems without understanding the underlying mechanism behind their performance. The lack of publications in both of these fields, nitrides and mechanistic understanding, causes a major stopgap in MXene research and needs to be remedied in order to truly utilize their potential for future electronics and energy conversion systems. In this work, the limited works on nitride MXenes and the applications of in situ/operando characterization techniques in understanding the underlying mechanisms of energy storage and conversion in MXenes are reviewed, major progress and remaining challenges in both fields are identified, recommendations on how to circumvent the challenges and limitations are provided, and finally, new research directions that must be performed to advance the field of 2D carbide and nitride MXenes are proposed.

Emerging MXene@Metal-Organic Framework Hybrids: Design Strategies toward Versatile Applications

Rapid progress on developing smart materials and design of hybrids is motivated by pressing challenges associated with energy crisis and environmental remediation. While emergence of versatile classes of nanomaterials has been fascinating, the real excitement lies in the design of hybrid materials with tunable properties. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are the key materials for gas sorption and electrochemical applications, but their sustainability is challenged by limited chemical stability, poor electrical conductivity, and intricate, inaccessible pores. Despite tremendous efforts towards improving the stability of MOF materials, little progress has made researchers inclined toward developing hybrid materials. MXenes, a family of two-dimensional transition-metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides, are known for their compositional versatility and formation of a range of structures with rich surface chemistry. Hybridization of MOFs with functional layered MXene materials may be beneficial if the host structure provides appropriate interactions for stabilizing and improving the desired properties. Recent efforts have focused on integrating Ti₃C₂T_x and V₂CT_x MXenes with MOFs to result in hybrid materials with augmented electrochemical and physicochemical properties, widening the scope for emerging applications. This review discusses the potential design strategies of MXene@MOF hybrids, attributes of tunable properties in the resulting hybrids, and their applications in water treatment, sensing, electrochemical energy storage, smart textiles, and electrocatalysis. Comprehensive discussions on the recent efforts on rapidly evolving MXene@MOF materials for various applications and potential future directions are highlighted.