Progression in the Oxidation Stability of MXenes

Abstract MXenes are under the spotlight due to their versatile physicochemical characteristics. Since their discovery in 2011, significant advancements have been achieved in their synthesis and application sectors. However, the spontaneous oxidation of MXenes, which is critical to its processing and product lifespan, has gotten less attention due to its chemical complexity and poorly understood oxidation mechanism. This perspective focuses on the oxidation stability of MXenes and addresses the most recent advancements in understanding and the possible countermeasures to limit the spontaneous oxidation of MXenes. A section is dedicated to the presently accessible methods for monitoring oxidation, with a discussion on the debatable oxidation mechanism and coherently operating factors that contribute to the complexity of MXenes oxidation. The current potential solutions for mitigating MXenes oxidation and the existing challenges are also discussed with prospects to prolong MXene’s shelf-life storage and expand their application scope. Graphical Abstract