Photocatalysis and Its Applications with MXene Composites

Photocatalysis offers a sustainable and efficient solution for environmental remediation, including the degradation of organic pollutants and microbial contaminants. Among the emerging materials, MXenes, two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, exhibit exceptional potential owing to their high electrical conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, hydrophilicity, and large specific surface area. This chapter describes the fundamental principles of photocatalysis and focuses on the unique role of MXenes in enhancing photocatalytic performance. MXenes act as electron sinks and conductive pathways, promoting charge separation and suppressing recombination in semiconductor systems. Composite designs, including semiconductor MXene heterojunctions, plasmonic MXene hybrids, and MXene carbon architectures, demonstrate synergistic effects that improve light harvesting, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and pollutant adsorption. These applications include dye degradation, antibiotic removal, and disinfection under visible light. The integration of MXene-based photocatalysts into real-world systems, coupled with advances in 3D structuring and data-driven design, holds promise for next-generation environmental technologies.