Recent Progress in MXene-Based Composites for CO2 Conversion: A Mini Review

CO2 conversion has emerged as a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy for producing value-added fuels and chemicals while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, the practical implementation of conventional CO2 conversion technologies is often hindered by sluggish reaction kinetics, unfavorable thermodynamics, and complex multistep reaction pathways. Since their first discovery in 2011, MXenes have attracted significant attention as promising catalytic materials owing to their unique physicochemical properties, including high electrical conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, large specific surface area, and excellent charge-transfer capability. Consequently, MXene-based photocatalysts have demonstrated remarkable progress in solar-driven CO2 conversion applications. This mini-review provides a basic overview of recent advances in MXene-based composites for CO2 conversion. First, the fundamental characteristics of MXenes, including their synthesis strategies and key physicochemical properties relevant to photocatalytic CO2 conversion, are introduced. Subsequently, recent developments in MXene-based photocatalytic systems for CO2 reduction are basically discussed. Finally, the current challenges, future opportunities, and research directions for engineering high-performance MXene-based composites are highlighted. This review aims to provide both newcomers and experienced researchers with a concise understanding of MXene materials and their growing potential in photocatalytic CO2 conversion.