Emerging 2D MXenes for antibacterial applications: Current status, challenges, and prospects

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is one of the most serious problems that has been battled for some time. Though bacteria are somehow evolving at a rapid pace, with complex mechanisms of evading antibiotic action now and in the future, it is expected to cost society at least $ 100 trillion between 2014 and 2050. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXene), a member of the 2D family, with several unique properties and features, have considerable potential in the health, water, and food industries. The potential held by this member of the 2D family must be harnessed for applications, especially in areas where antibiotic resistance is on the rise and many strategies have proven ineffective. These properties include excellent conductivity, outstanding photothermal effect, electromagnetic interference shielding, energy storage, and conversion ability, synergistic properties, and many more that will be revealed in the future. In this review, various mechanisms of MXene in the eradication of bacteria are presented. The effect of several distinct MXene characteristics on antibacterial activity along with other biomedically related applications is further discussed. This review concludes the assessment of the current status, a description of current mechanical and functional possibilities and challenges, and a discussion of potential future possibilities to advance this research field.