Progress and Perspective in harnessing MXene-carbon-based composites (0-3D): Synthesis, performance, and applications.

MXene is recognized as a promising catalyst for versatile applications due to its abundant metal sites, physicochemical properties, and structural formation. This comprehensive review offers an in-depth analysis of the incorporation of carbon into MXene, resulting in the formation of MXene-carbon-based composites (MCCs). Pristine MXene exhibits numerous outstanding characteristics, such as its atomically thin 2D structure, hydrophilic surface nature, metallic electrical conductivity, and substantial specific surface area. The introduction of carbon guides the assembly of MCCs through electrostatic self-assembly, pairing positively charged carbon with negatively charged MXene. These interactions result in increased interlayer spacing, reduced ion/electron transport distances, and enhanced surface hydrophilicity. Subsequent sections delve into the synthesis methods for MCCs, focusing on MXene integrated with various carbon structures, including 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D carbon. Comprehensive discussions explore the distinctive properties of MCCs and the unique advantages they offer in each application domain, emphasizing the contributions and advancements they bring to specific fields. Furthermore, this comprehensive review addresses the challenges encountered by MCCs across different applications. Through these analyses, the review promotes a deeper understanding of exceptional characteristics and potential applications of MCCs. Insights derived from this review can serve as guidance for future research and development efforts, promoting the widespread utilization of MCCs across a broad spectrum of disciplines and spurring future innovations.

Improved electrochemical detection of levofloxacin in diverse aquatic samples using 3D flower-like Co@CaPO4 nanospheres.

The misuse of antibiotics has become a concerning environmental issue, posing a significant threat to public health. Levofloxacin (LFX), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is particularly worrisome due to its detrimental impact on human health and the ecosystem. Therefore, the selective and accurate identification of LFX is of utmost importance. In this study, we have developed an electrochemical sensor based on cobalt-doped calcium phosphate (Co@CaHPO) for the sensitive and selective detection of LFX in various water samples. Under optimized conditions, the Co@CaHPO-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) exhibited exceptional electrochemical activity, low charge transfer resistance, and a fast electron transfer rate, outperforming the unmodified GCE. The proposed Co@CaHPO-modified GCE demonstrated remarkable electrochemical characteristics, including a wide linear range (0.3-460 µM) and a lower detection limit (0.151 µM) with high sensitivity (0.676 µAµM-1 cm2). This detection approach may enable the direct detection of LFX in the pharmaceutical environment. Furthermore, the resulting sensor exhibited good selectivity, excellent cyclic and storage stability, reproducibility, and repeatability. The practical application of this LFX sensor can be extended to various water samples, yielding reliable and satisfactory results.

Ultrasound-assisted fabrication of a new nanocomposite electrode of samaria and borazon for high performance supercapacitors.

The fabrication of hetero structured materials with supercapacitor applications for industrial use remains a key challenge. This work reports a new supercapacitor material with high capacitance, comprising samaria and borazon (O3Sm2/BN) synthesized ultrasonically (40 ±â€¯3 kHz, 200 W). The successful synthesis, probable interfaces between O3Sm2 and BN and thermal stability of the nanocomposite were studied by UV-Vis. and FT-IR spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analyses (TGA). The morphology of nanocomposite was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Elemental mapping analysis and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) confirmed the elements present in the material. This supercapacitor material shows a maximum discharge capacitance of 414 Fg-1 at 0.25 Ag-1 and an exceptional retention of specific capacitance (92.5%) in 5000 cycles. Such nanocomposite with better specific capacitance and charge/discharge rates makes it a right candidate as next generation supercapacitor, which certainly finds applications in various unconventional energy storage devices.