MXene-Driven Frameworks: Unlocking New Frontiers in Electrocatalysis and Zinc-Air Battery Applications

MXenes are a rapidly expanding family of two-dimensional transition metal nitrides and carbides that are recognized as highly effective electrocatalysts due to their hydrophilic nature, variable surface chemistry, and exceptional conductivity. Alongside these intrinsic features, recent advancements in surface functionalization, heterostructure design, and transition-metal hybridization have significantly enhanced their catalytic efficiency for vital energy-related reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, carbon dioxide reduction reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction. This review offers a critical examination of the latest strategies that extend beyond traditional MXene applications, with a particular focus on their incorporation into rechargeable zinc-air batteries. We highlight how functional group engineering, interlayer spacing modulation, and lattice strain control influence catalytic performance and reaction kinetics. Despite these advancements, MXenes still face challenges such as structural instability, surface termination heterogeneity, and limited defect control during scalable synthesis. We conclude by discussing emerging solutions, including Janus-type surface patterning and defect engineering, as future directions to guide the strategic development of highly efficient MXene-based electrocatalysts.