Synergistic Integration of 2D MXenes into Electrospun Nanofibers: From Microstructural Tailoring to Advanced Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Membrane technology has become an integral part of wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Among various methods of fabrication, electrospinning has drawn significant attention due to its ability to produce highly porous membranes with interconnected pore structures, high specific surface area and controllable fibre diameter. At the same time, MXenes, a newly emerged family of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides have revolutionised the paradigms of the materials science due to their hydrophilic surface chemistry, metallic electrical conductivity and excellent chemical tunability. In this review, we present a comprehensive discussion on the synergistic integration of electrospun nanofiber membranes with MXenes in water purification. The fundamentals of electrospinning, the methods to embed MXenes into polymer matrices and the morphological modifications are thoroughly discussed. We comprehensively review the performance of these composite membranes for oil-water separation, heavy metals removal and desalination, elucidating the underlying principles and addressing the current scaling-up and stability challenges.