MXene-based low-emissivity materials for advanced infrared thermal manipulation

Materials with low infrared emissivity hold significant potential for a wide range of applications, including thermal management, security protection, and counter-surveillance. Although metals are currently the most widely used low-infrared-emissivity materials, their practical deployment is often hampered by intrinsic limitations such as high density, susceptibility to corrosion, difficult processing, and poor flexibility. In contrast, intrinsically low-infrared-emissivity nonmetallic materials, though rare in nature, are highly desirable. Recently, MXenes have emerged as a compelling alternative to metals, exhibiting comparably low intrinsic infrared emissivity. Their solubility in common solvents and tunable surface chemistry further enable facile and cost-effective processing, attributes that make MXenes particularly attractive for applications where metals fall short. To date, MXene-based low-infrared-emissivity systems have demonstrated remarkable promise in thermal manipulation, spanning adaptive thermal camouflage, infrared stealth, passive radiative heating, anti-counterfeiting, thermal energy conversion, and photothermal catalysis. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in MXene-based low-emissivity materials, with a focus on the underlying phenomena, operational mechanisms, and application landscapes. Future research directions aimed at overcoming existing challenges in infrared radiation thermal manipulation using MXenes are also outlined.