Recent advances in MXene-based nanomaterials for desalination at water interfaces

Antibacterial Janus cellulose/MXene paper with exceptional salt rejection for sustainable and durable solar-driven desalination

The scarcity of freshwater resources and increasing demand for drinking water have driven the development of durable and sustainable desalination technologies. Although MXene composites have shown promise due to their excellent photothermal conversion and high thermal conductivity, their high hydrophilicity often leads to salt precipitation and low durability. In this study, we present a novel Cellulose (CF)/MXene paper with a Janus hydrophobic/hydrophilic configuration for long-term and efficient solar-driven desalination. The paper features a dual-layer structure, with the upper hydrophobic layer composed of CF/MXene paper exhibiting convexness to serve as a photothermal layer with exceptional salt rejection properties. Simultaneously, the bottom porous layer made of CF acts as an efficient thermal insulation. This unique design effectively minimizes heat loss and facilitates efficient water transportation. The Janus CF/MXene paper demonstrates a high evaporation rate of 1.11 kg m-2h-1 and solar thermal conversion efficiency of 82.52 % under 1 sun irradiation. Importantly, even after 2500 h of operation in a simulated seawater environment, the paper maintains a stable evaporation rate without significant salt deposition and biodegradation due to an antibacterial rate exceeding 90 %. These findings highlight the potential of the Janus CF/MXene paper for scalable manufacturing and practical applications in solar-driven desalination.

Cultivating a sustainable future in the artificial intelligence era: A comprehensive assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and removals in agriculture

Agriculture is a leading sector in international initiatives to mitigate climate change and promote sustainability. This article exhaustively examines the removals and emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the agriculture industry. It also investigates an extensive range of GHG sources, including rice cultivation, enteric fermentation in livestock, and synthetic fertilisers and manure management. This research reveals the complex array of obstacles that are faced in the pursuit of reducing emissions and also investigates novel approaches to tackling them. This encompasses the implementation of monitoring systems powered by artificial intelligence, which have the capacity to fundamentally transform initiatives aimed at reducing emissions. Carbon capture technologies, another area investigated in this study, exhibit potential in further reducing GHGs. Sophisticated technologies, such as precision agriculture and the integration of renewable energy sources, can concurrently mitigate emissions and augment agricultural output. Conservation agriculture and agroforestry, among other sustainable agricultural practices, have the potential to facilitate emission reduction and enhance environmental stewardship. The paper emphasises the significance of financial incentives and policy frameworks that are conducive to the adoption of sustainable technologies and practices. This exhaustive evaluation provides a strategic plan for the agriculture industry to become more environmentally conscious and sustainable. Agriculture can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation and the promotion of a sustainable future by adopting a comprehensive approach that incorporates policy changes, technological advancements, and technological innovations.

Construction of surface-rich MoS2 nanoflowers decorated on 2D layered MXene nanohybrid heterostructure for highly efficient and rapid degradation of oxytetracycline

In this study, we successfully developed a hybrid architecture referred to as MoS2@MX, involving the integration of MoS2 layered onto MXene using a straightforward co-precipitation method. This innovative hybrid photocatalyst exhibited remarkable efficiency in removing oxytetracycline (OTC) molecules from aqueous solutions under visible-light irradiation. During the photocatalytic process, both MoS2 and MX played distinct yet complementary roles. MoS2 facilitated efficient electron transfer, while MX contributed to the generation of radicals. This unique collaboration resulted in a noteworthy 99 % oxidation efficiency for OTC degradation within a brief 60 min of visible light exposure in an aqueous environment. The radicals 1O2 and •OH were identified as the principal drivers behind OTC degradation, underscoring the vital role of the hybrid material. Mechanistically, the degradation of OTC involved several key steps, including C-H bond cleavage, de-carboxylation, C-N bond oxidation, and de-chlorination. Importantly, the MoS2@MX hybrid composite demonstrated remarkable stability, maintaining a noteworthy photocatalytic efficiency of 89 % for targeted OTC removal after undergoing five consecutive cycles. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the potential of the MoS2@MX hybrid material as an effective agent for degrading organic OTC compounds within aquatic environments. The hybrid's multifaceted roles and exceptional performance suggest promising applications in sustainable water treatment.

A Comprehensive Review on Electrocatalytic Applications of 2D Metallenes

This review introduces metallenes, a cutting-edge form of atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) metals, gaining attention in energy and catalysis. Their unique physicochemical and electronic properties make them promising for applications like catalysis. Metallenes stand out due to their abundance of under-coordinated metal atoms, enhancing the catalytic potential by improving atomic utilization and intrinsic activity. This review explores the utility of 2D metals as electrocatalysts in sustainable energy conversion, focusing on the Oxygen Evolution Reaction, Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Fuel Oxidation Reaction, and Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction. Aimed at researchers in nanomaterials and energy, the review is a comprehensive resource for unlocking the potential of 2D metals in creating a sustainable energy landscape.

MXenes and MXene-based materials for removal of pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater: Critical review

The rapid increase in the global population and its ever-rising standards of living are imposing a huge burden on global resources. Apart from the rising energy needs, the demand for freshwater is correspondingly increasing. A population of around 3.8 billion people will face water scarcity by 2030, as per the reports of the World Water Council. This may be due to global climate change and the deficiency in the treatment of wastewater. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies fail to completely remove several emerging contaminants, especially those containing pharmaceutical compounds. Hence, leading to an increase in the concentration of harmful chemicals in the human food chain and the proliferation of several diseases. MXenes are transition metal carbide/nitride ceramics that primarily structure the leading 2D material group. MXenes act as novel nanomaterials for wastewater treatment due to their high surface area, excellent adsorption properties, and unique physicochemical properties, such as high electrical conductivity and hydrophilicity. MXenes are highly hydrophilic and covered with active functional groups (i.e., hydroxyl, oxygen, fluorine, etc.), which makes them efficient adsorbents for a wide range of species and promising candidates for environmental remediation and water treatment. This work concludes that the scaling up process of MXene-based materials for water treatment is currently of high cost. The up-to-date applications are still limited because MXenes are currently produced mainly in the laboratory with limited yield. It is recommended to direct research efforts towards lower synthesis cost procedures coupled with the use of more environmentally friendly materials to avoid secondary contamination.

New insights into MXene applications for sustainable environmental remediation

Multiple ecological contaminants in gaseous, liquid, and solid forms are vented into ecosystems due to the huge growth of industrialization, which is today at the forefront of worldwide attention. High-efficiency removal of these environmental pollutants is a must because of the potential harm to public health and biodiversity. The alarming concern has led to the synthesis of improved nanomaterials for removing pollutants. A path to innovative methods for identifying and preventing several obnoxious, hazardous contaminants from entering the environment is grabbing attention. Various applications in diverse industries are seen as a potential directions for researchers. MXene is a new, excellent, and advanced material that has received greater importance related to the environmental application. Due to its unique physicochemical and mechanical properties, high specific surface area, physiological compatibility, strong electrodynamics, and raised specific surface area wettability, its applications are growing. This review paper examines the most recent methods and trends for environmental pollutant removal using advanced 2D Mxene materials. In addition, the history and the development of MXene synthesis were elaborated. Furthermore, an extreme summary of various environmental pollutants removal has been discussed, and the future challenges along with their future perspectives have been illustrated.

Surface Functionalized MXenes for Wastewater Treatment-A Comprehensive Review

Over 80% of wastewater worldwide is released into the environment without proper treatment. Whilst environmental pollution continues to intensify due to the increase in the number of polluting industries, conventional techniques employed to clean the environment are poorly effective and are expensive. MXenes are a new class of 2D materials that have received a lot of attention for an extensive range of applications due to their tuneable interlayer spacing and tailorable surface chemistry. Several MXene-based nanomaterials with remarkable properties have been proposed, synthesized, and used in environmental remediation applications. In this work, a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research progress on the promising potential of surface functionalized MXenes as photocatalysts, adsorbents, and membranes for wastewater treatment is presented. The sources, composition, and effects of wastewater on human health and the environment are displayed. Furthermore, the synthesis, surface functionalization, and characterization techniques of merit used in the study of MXenes are discussed, detailing the effects of a range of factors (e.g., PH, temperature, precursor, etc.) on the synthesis, surface functionalization, and performance of the resulting MXenes. Finally, the limits of MXenes and MXene-based materials as well as their potential future research directions, especially for wastewater treatment applications are highlighted.

Novel synthesis methods and applications of MXene-based nanomaterials (MBNs) for hazardous pollutants degradation: Future perspectives

MXenes are a quickly growing and extended group of two-dimensional (2D) substances that have earned unbelievable analysis credits for various application areas within different manufacturing areas. Due to novel essential architectural and physicochemical properties shows good properties, such as elevated exterior area, living adaptability, strong electrochemistry, and great hydrophilicity. Given the fast progress within the structure and synthesis of MBNs for water treatment, quick updates on this research field are required to remove toxic substances, such as production approaches and characterization methods for the advantages and constraints of MXenes for pollutant degradation. MXenes are determined as a proposed road toward atmosphere-clean-up machinery to identify and decrease a pattern of hazardous resistant pollutants from environmental forms. Here, in this review article, we have been focused on describing the overview, novel synthesis methods, and characteristics of the MXene-based nanomaterials (MBNs) in the field for removing hazardous contaminants from environmental conditions. In the last, the utilizations of MBNs in water sanitization, organic solvent filtration, antibiotics degradation, pesticide degradation, heavy metals degradation, ions removal, bacterial pathogens degradation, along with the conclusion, challenges, and prospects in this field, have been discussed.

MXene-based electrochemical sensors for detection of environmental pollutants: A comprehensive review

Since the discovery of MXenes at Drexel University in the United States in 2011, there has been extensive research regarding various applications of MXenes including environmental remediation. MXenes with a general formula of M_n+1X_nT_x are a class of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, carbonitrides, and nitrides with unique chemical and physical characteristics as nanomaterials. MXenes feature characteristics such as high conductivity, hydrophobicity, and large specific surface areas that are attracting attention from researchers in many fields including environmental water engineering such as desalination and wastewater treatment as well as designing and building efficient sensors to detect hazardous pollutants in water. In this study, we review recent developments in MXene-based nanocomposites for electrochemical (bio) sensing with a particular focus on the detection of hazardous pollutants, such as organic components, pesticides, nitrite, and heavy metals. Integration of these 2D materials in electrochemical enzyme-based and affinity-based biosensors for environmental pollutants is also discussed. In addition, a summary of the key challenges and future remarks are presented. Although this field is relatively new, future research on biosensors of MXene-based nanocomposites need to exploit the remarkable properties of these 2D materials.