Emerging two dimensional MXene for corrosion protection in new energy systems: Design and mechanisms

With the development of new and clean energy (offshore wind power, fuel cells, aqueous zinc ion batteries, lithium-ion batteries, etc.), the corrosion and security problems in special environments of the new energy system have attracted much attention. Corrosion protection on the metals applied in new energy system can reduce the economic loss, security risk, and energy consumption, as well as guarantee the efficiency of energy system. Traditional coatings face challenges in agglomeration of nano fillers, structural control, environmental issues, and poor conductivity, which limits the applications. With features in controllable surface chemistry and composition, rich surface terminations, better conductivity than graphene oxide, high aspect-ratio, strong impermeability, and low friction coefficient, the two-dimensional (2D) MXene presents potential for applications in corrosion protection in new energy systems. Despite progress has been made in the MXene for corrosion protection, there is still a lack of comprehensive review regarding the design and mechanisms of anti-corrosive MXene-based materials for corrosion protection in new energy system. In this review, a brief induction of MXene and the specially four corrosive environments (offshore wind power at deep sea, bipolar plates in PEMFC environments, zinc anode in AZIBs, and current collectors in Li-ion battery) are presented. Importantly, the design strategies and mechanisms of the MXene-based anti-corrosive coatings on metals used in the special environments are discussed in detail. Finally, the challenges and research trends in the MXene-based coatings for new energy systems are prospected. This review provides further understanding of corrosion in new energy and would expand the application prospects of MXene.