• Fabrication, characterizations and photothermal properties of MXenes are systematically described.

• Photothermal-derived antibacterial performances and mechanisms of MXenes-based materials are summarized and reviewed.

• Recent advances in the derivative applications relying on antibacterial properties of MXenes-based materials, including in vitro and in vivo sterilization, solar water evaporation and purification, and flexible antibacterial fabrics, are investigated.

The pernicious bacterial proliferation and emergence of super-resistant bacteria have already posed a great threat to public health, which drives researchers to develop antibiotic-free strategies to eradicate these fierce microbes. Although enormous achievements have already been achieved, it remains an arduous challenge to realize efficient sterilization to cut off the drug resistance generation. Recently, photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising solution to efficiently damage the integrity of pathogenic bacteria based on hyperthermia beyond their tolerance. Until now, numerous photothermal agents have been studied for antimicrobial PTT. Among them, MXenes (a type of two-dimensional transition metal carbides or nitrides) are extensively investigated as one of the most promising candidates due to their high aspect ratio, atomic-thin thickness, excellent photothermal performance, low cytotoxicity, and ultrahigh dispersibility in aqueous systems. Besides, the enormous application scenarios using their antibacterial properties can be tailored via elaborated designs of MXenes-based materials. In this review, the synthetic approaches and textural properties of MXenes have been systematically presented first, and then the photothermal properties and sterilization mechanisms using MXenes-based materials are documented. Subsequently, recent progress in diverse fields making use of the photothermal and antibacterial performances of MXenes-based materials are well summarized to reveal the potential applications of these materials for various purposes, including in vitro and in vivo sterilization, solar water evaporation and purification, and flexible antibacterial fabrics. Last but not least, the current challenges and future perspectives are discussed to provide theoretical guidance for the fabrication of efficient antimicrobial systems using MXenes.

• 系统地描述了 MXenes 的制造、表征和光热性能。

• 总结和综述了基于 MXenes 的材料的光热衍生抗菌性能和机制。

• 研究了依赖于 MXenes 基材料抗菌性能的衍生应用的最新进展，包括体外和体内灭菌、太阳能水蒸发和净化以及柔性抗菌织物。

有害细菌的增殖和超级耐药细菌的出现已经对公众健康构成了巨大威胁，这促使研究人员制定无抗生素策略来根除这些凶猛的微生物。尽管已经取得了巨大的成就，但实现高效灭菌以切断耐药性的产生仍然是一项艰巨的挑战。最近，光热疗法 (PTT) 已成为一种有前途的解决方案，可以基于超出其耐受性的热疗有效破坏致病菌的完整性。到目前为止，已经研究了许多用于抗菌 PTT 的光热剂。其中，MXenes（一种二维过渡金属碳化物或氮化物）由于其高纵横比而被广泛研究为最有前途的候选者之一，原子薄的厚度、优异的光热性能、低细胞毒性和在水性体系中的超高分散性。此外，可以通过基于 MXenes 的材料的精心设计来定制使用其抗菌特性的巨大应用场景。在这篇综述中，首先系统地介绍了 MXenes 的合成方法和结构特性，然后记录了使用基于 MXenes 的材料的光热特性和灭菌机制。随后，很好地总结了利用 MXenes 基材料的光热和抗菌性能在多个领域的最新进展，以揭示这些材料在各种用途中的潜在应用，包括体外和体内杀菌、太阳能水蒸发和净化，以及柔韧的抗菌织物。