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Accurate measurement of tryptophan (Trp) levels is crucial for clinical and research purposes, such as nutritional assessment, disorder diagnosis, condition management, and the study of the role of Trp in disease pathophysiology. Herein, the intercalation of 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [OMIM] + Cl − ionic liquids (ILs) between the layers of Ti 3 C 2 MXenes results in a 3D porous structure with a large active surface area and high interlayer spacing ( d -spacing). Confined [OMIM] + ions enhance the electroactive sites and Trp transfer pathways at the Ti 3 C 2 MXene and IL interfaces and improve the electron transfer efficiency for Trp oxidation, improving Ti 3 C 2 MXene stability via strong π‒π and electrostatic Ti 3 C 2 MXene‒IL interactions. Under optimal conditions, the sensor demonstrated a broad detection range for Trp, ranging from 0.001 to 240 µM, with a low limit of detection of 0.06 nM (S/ N  = 3). Owing to its exceptional stability, selectivity, and reproducibility, the proposed IL-Ti 3 C 2 /GCE exhibited significant potential for detecting Trp in real amino acid granules and urine samples.

HighlightsThe 1T-WS2@TiO2@Ti3C2 photocatalyst is highly active for water splitting to produce hydrogen at 3409.8 μmol g−1 h−1.The Ti3C2 MXene and octahedral (1T) phase WS2 act pathways transferring photogenerated electrons.

The crystal distortion such as lattice strain and defect located at the surfaces and grain boundaries induced by soft perovskite lattice highly determines the charge extraction‐transfer dynamics and recombination to cause an inferior efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, the authors propose a strategy to significantly reduce the superficial lattice tensile strain by means of incorporating an inorganic 2D Cl‐terminated Ti3C2 (Ti3C2Clx) MXene into the bulk and surface of CsPbBr3 film. Arising from the strong interaction between Cl atoms in Ti3C2Clx and the under‐coordinated Pb2+ in CsPbBr3 lattice, the expanded perovskite lattice is compressed and confined to act as a lattice “tape”, in which the PbCl bond plays a role of “glue” and the 2D Ti3C2 immobilizes the lattice. Finally, the defective surface is healed and a champion efficiency as high as 11.08% with an ultrahigh open‐circuit voltage up to 1.702 V is achieved on the best all‐inorganic CsPbBr3 PSC, which is so far the highest efficiency record for this kind of PSCs. Furthermore, the unencapsulated device demonstrates nearly unchanged performance under 80% relative humidity over 100 days and 85 °C over 30 days. Arising from the formation of strong PbCl bonding, chlorine terminated Ti3C2Clx MXenes are used as lattice “tape” to reduce the defects and release tensile strain located at interfaces and grain boundaries of CsPbBr3 perovskite film, achieving a champion efficiency up to 11.08% with an ultrahigh voltage of 1.702 V for CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells.

The increasing concentrations of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in wastewater threaten human health and the environment. Their complex structures, low concentrations, and conversion into secondary metabolites challenge current remediation techniques. This study presents the Z-scheme Ti3C2 MXene@CeO2 (MX@CeO2) heterostructures, synthesized by a facile in-situ sonochemical method, aimed at enhancing photocatalytic mineralization of highly toxic Doxorubicin (DOX) drug. Our findings reveal that the unique surface and structural properties of Ti3C2 MXene facilitated the effective nucleation and growth of the CeO2. The growth mechanisms involved the adsorption of Ce atoms through negatively charged functional groups, and anchoring to surface defects and vacancies in Ti3C2 MXene. The formation of intimate interfacial heterojunctions between Ti3C2 MXene and CeO2 not only facilitated the charge separation and utilization but also improved the photostability, thereby improving the catalytic performance of the composite. Photodegradation experiments demonstrated 96% removal of DOX within 240 minutes of visible light exposure. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed the complete mineralization of DOX. The post degradation analysis revealed the minimal cytotoxicity induced by photodegraded residues. The stability and sustained catalytic efficiency of MX@CeO2 in degrading DOX into non-toxic residues position such Z-scheme heterostructures as promising candidates for long-term remediation of EOCs. Schematic: (Left) The schematic illustrates the synthesis of Ti3C2 MXene@CeO2 heterostructures through a mild etching method, followed by the growth of a CeO2 shell via a vacancy confined method. (Middle) This process enhances charge transfer dynamics as proposed in the Z-scheme, facilitating the degradation of pollutants. (Right) the visual representation highlights the degradation of Doxorubicin. [Display omitted]

HighlightsN-Ti3C2@CNT microspheres are successfully synthesized by the simple spray drying and one-step pyrolysis.Within the microsphere, MXene nanosheets intimately interact with CNTs constructing porous and highly conductive network, which can provide strong immobilization for polysulfides.N-Ti3C2@CNT microsphere/S cathode shows highly cycling stability in lithium-sulfur battery.

Two-dimensional (2D) MXene materials have recently been the focus of membrane research due to their unique properties, such as their single-atomic-layer thickness, flexibility, molecular filtration abilities and microstructural similarities with graphene, which is currently the most efficient precursor material for gas separation applications. In addition, the potential to process nanoscale channels has motivated investigations of parameters which can improve membrane permeability and selectivity. Interlayer spacing and defects, which are still challenging to control, are among the most crucial parameters for membrane performance. Herein, the effect of heat treatment on the d-spacing of MXene nanosheets and the surface functionalization of nanolayers was shown regarding its impact on the gas diffusion mechanism. The distance of the layers was reduced by a factor of over 10 from 0.345 nm to 0.024 nm, the defects were reduced, and the surface functionalization was maintained upon treatment of the Ti3C2 membrane at 500 °C under an Ar/H2 atmosphere as compared to 80 °C under vacuum. This led to a change from Knudsen diffusion to molecular sieving, as demonstrated by single-gas permeation tests at room temperature. Overall, this work shows a simple and promising way to improve H2/CO2 selectivity via temperature treatment under a controlled atmosphere.

MXenes, a class of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides and nitrides, have a wide range of potential applications due to their unique electronic, optical, plasmonic, and other properties. SnO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 MXene with different contents of Ti 3 C 2 (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5 wt‰), experimentally, has been used as electron transport layers (ETLs) in Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs). The SCAPS-1D simulation software could simulate a perovskite solar cell comprised of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 absorber and SnO 2 (or SnO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 ) ETL. The simulation results like Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE), Open circuit voltage (V OC ), Short circuit current density (J SC ), Fill Factor (FF), and External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) have been compared within samples with different weight percentages of Ti 3 C 2 MXene incorporated in ETL. Reportedly, the ETL of SnO 2 with Ti 3 C 2 (1.0 wt‰) effectively increases PCE from 17.32 to 18.32%. We simulate the role of MXene in changing the ideality factor (n id ), photocurrent (J Ph ), built-in potential (V bi ), and recombination resistance (R rec ). The study of interface recombination currents and electric field shows that cells with 1.0 wt‰ of MXene in SnO 2 ETL have higher values of ideality factor, built-in potential, and recombination resistance. The correlation between these values and cell performance allows one to conclude the best cell performance for the sample with 1.0 wt‰ of MXene in SnO 2 ETL. With an optimization procedure for this cell, an efficiency of 27.81% is reachable.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising renewable electrode materials for LIBs and gained significant attention, but their capacity has been limited by the densely packed 2D layer structures, low active site availability, and poor electronic conductivity. Combining COFs with high-conductivity MXenes is an effective strategy to enhance their electrochemical performance. Nevertheless, simply gluing them without conformal growth and covalent linkage restricts the number of redox-active sites and the structural stability of the composite. Therefore, in this study, a covalently assembled 3D COF on Ti3C2 MXenes (Ti3C2@COF) is synthesized and serves as an ultralong cycling electrode material for LIBs. Due to the covalent bonding between the COF and Ti3C2, the Ti3C2@COF composite exhibits excellent stability, good conductivity, and a unique 3D cavity structure that enables stable Li+ storage and rapid ion transport. As a result, the Ti3C2-supported 3D COF nanosheets deliver a high specific capacity of 490 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, along with an ultralong cyclability of 10,000 cycles at 1 A g−1. This work may inspire a wide range of 3D COF designs for high-performance electrode materials.

Exosomes derived from cancer cells have been recognized as a promising biomarker for minimally invasive liquid biopsy. Herein, a novel sandwich-type biosensor was fabricated for highly sensitive detection of exosomes. Amino-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized as a sensing interface with a large surface area and rapid enrichment capacity, while two-dimensional MXene nanosheets were used as signal amplifiers with excellent electrical properties. Specifically, CD63 aptamer attached Fe3O4 nanoprobes capture the target exosomes. MXene nanosheets modified with epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer were tethered on the electrode surface to enhance the quantification of exosomes captured with the detection of remaining protein sites. With such a design, the proposed biosensor showed a wide linear range from 102 particles μL−1 to 107 particles μL−1 for sensing 4T1 exosomes, with a low detection limit of 43 particles μL−1. In addition, this sensing platform can determine four different tumor cell types (4T1, Hela, HepG2, and A549) using surface proteins corresponding to aptamers 1 and 2 (CD63 and EpCAM) and showcases good specificity in serum samples. These preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a sensitive, accurate, and inexpensive electrochemical sensor for detecting exosome concentrations and species. Moreover, they provide a significant reference for exosome applications in clinical settings, such as liquid biopsy and early cancer diagnosis.

Visible light‐driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR) offers a sustainable and promising solution to environmental and energy challenges. However, the design of efficient photocatalysts is hindered by poor interface interactions in heterojunctions and a limited understanding of reaction kinetics. A modified Fe2O3 photocatalyst, M‐Fe2O3@MXene, is introduced featuring KH‐550‐modified M‐Fe2O3 hollow nanocubes coated with MXene, constructed via an electrostatic and Fe−O−Ti bonding self‐assembly method. This design achieves an unprecedented CO production rate of 240 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ among non‐noble metal catalysts (8.6 folds vs Fe2O3). The Fe−O−Ti sites enhance *COOH intermediate formation and CO production through higher electron deficiency of Fe3+ and rapid charge transfer. This study offers new insights on the use of functional metal oxides and high‐quality Mxene layers to design efficient metal oxide‐based photocatalysts. Single‐layer MXene‐coated hollow Fe2O3 nanocube catalyst (M‐Fe2O3@MXene) is fabricated via an electrostatic and Fe−O−Ti bonding self‐assembly method. Experiments and theoretical calculations imply that interfacial Fe−O−Ti bonding increases the photocatalytic CO2 reduction (p‐CO2RR) activity by accelerating charge transfer and separation and regulating electronic property of Fe sites. This catalyst outperforms previous reports using Fe‐based photocatalysts with a CO production rate of 240 µmol g−1 h−1.