Amarjit Singh Dhaliwal

The emergence of two‐dimensional (2D) materials has revolutionized nanoscience by enabling atomic‐thickness systems with exceptional properties. Among them, MXenes exhibit metallic conductivity, hydrophilicity, chemical stability, and tunable surface chemistry. However, conventional hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching poses serious environmental and safety concerns and limits control over surface terminations. Electrochemical etching (E‐etching) has emerged as a sustainable alternative, using controlled potentials in aqueous, low‐fluorine, or fluorine‐free electrolytes to selectively remove the A‐layer from MAX phases while preserving the lattice structure, enabling larger flake sizes and programmable surface terminations (O/OH/Cl/F). This review systematically explores the evolution, mechanisms, and recent advances in E‐etched MXenes. Key synthesis parameters, applied potential, electrolyte composition, concentration, temperature, and etching time, are correlated with morphology, lateral size, defect density, surface chemistry, yield, and exfoliation behavior. A comparative assessment of fluoride‐free and low‐fluoride routes highlights trade‐offs in safety, scalability, and performance. Mechanistic insights into anodic dissolution, intercalation‐driven delamination, and carbide‐derived carbon (CDC) formation define optimal process windows. Emerging strategies, including pulsed techniques and advanced electrochemical configurations, are also discussed. Finally, this review critically outlines the applications (such as energy storage, catalysis, solid lubrication, environmental remediation, and sensing), challenges, and future prospects of green, scalable E‐etched MXenes.

The present work focuses on the in-situ synthesis of Fe₃O₄/rGO magnetic nanocomposite by using leaf extract of Azadirachta indica as a reducing agent. Morphology and EDX studies indicate that the rGO array and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles have effectively cooperated with each other. XRD analysis confirms a high crystallinity cubic structural phase with a crystallite size of about 7.48 nm. FTIR spectroscopy confirms the strong Fe-O stretching bonding. UV-Visible spectroscopy reveals the formation of rGO and iron oxide nanoparticles with the tunable energy bandgap of 2.52 eV, which is calculated using the Tauc plot. VSM analysis confirms the superparamagnetic nature of nanocomposite with approximate magnetization (M_s) 47.36 emu/g. The TGA study confirms the higher thermal stability of the synthesized nanocomposite as compared to rGO and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. It is expected that the synthesized Fe₃O₄/rGO nanocomposite, an eco-friendly and nontoxic material may be used in various advanced applications.

The formation of silver-decorated nanocomposite based on reduced graphene oxide has been carried out in a single step by using leaf extract of Azadirachta indica as a reducing agent. Various analytical techniques have been employed for exploring the properties of the synthesized Ag/rGO nanocomposite. XRD studies confirmed the cubic structure with a crystallinity of 70.3%. The FESEM and EDX analysis revealed that AgNPs having particle sizes in the range of 68–95 nm are symmetrically decorated on the rGO surface. The UV-Vis spectroscopy also confirmed the successful formation of AgNPs and reduction of GO into rGO with a tunable energy bandgap of 2.27 eV in Ag/rGO nanocomposite. The presence of various phytochemicals in the leaf extract, responsible for the in-situ formation of AgNPs and reduction of GO into rGO, has been confirmed through FTIR analysis. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance investigations of synthesized rGO and Ag/rGO nanocomposite as an electrode showed a maximum specific capacitance of 206 Fg⁻¹ and 349 Fg⁻¹ at 1 Ag⁻¹ current density, respectively with outstanding long-cycle stability of 88.0% after 4000 cycles. It is expected that the present investigations of synthesized Ag/rGO nanocomposite may help to understand its behavior as an electrode material for device applications.