Multifunctional MXene-Based Nanomaterials in Optoelectronics: From Interfacial Engineering to Device

Abstract

Two-dimensional transition-metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) are increasingly adopted in advanced electronic devices, where their metallic conductivity, optical tunability, and chemically addressable surfaces support next-generation multifunctional optoelectronics. Their practical performance, however, depends not only on their intrinsic properties but also on the heterogeneous interfaces where charges, photons, and ions interact. Unlike earlier reviews organized around synthesis routes or separate device categories, this review takes interfacial chemistry as a single organizing principle and follows it from surface terminations through to integrated systems. The structural and surface-chemical characteristics of MXenes are described first, showing how dynamic terminations and interfacial dipoles regulate work functions and energy-level alignment. We then discuss molecular functionalization, defect passivation, and heterojunction formation as strategies for reducing Schottky barriers and improving charge-transfer kinetics. Optoelectronic platforms built on these engineered interfaces, including high-efficiency photovoltaics, broadband photodetectors, and stretchable wearable systems, are subsequently detailed, together with emerging architectures that merge self-powered sensing with neuromorphic visual functions, a scope seldom treated alongside conventional devices in previous surveys. By connecting surface chemistry with device integration, this review outlines a materials-to-systems pathway toward more reliable and scalable MXene-based optoelectronic technologies.