MXene/MOF hybrid architectures for advanced lithium-based batteries: Progress and prospects

The growing demand for efficient energy storage technologies has intensified research on next-generation lithium-based batteries (LBBs), including LIBs, LSBs, and LOBs, yet their practical deployment remains hindered by the sluggish reaction kinetics, polysulfide shuttling, unstable electrode–electrolyte interfaces, and dendrite formation. To address these limitations, recent efforts have focused on MXene (Ti 3 C 2 T x )/Metal Organic Framework (MOF) composites, which have emerged as versatile multifunctional materials. The integration of highly conductive MXenes, providing robust electron-transport pathways and mitigating restacking, with porous MOFs and their derivatives, offering large surface area, tunable active sites, and strong catalytic functionality, results in pronounced synergistic effects. Synthesis strategies, structural design principles, and electrochemical mechanisms across different LBB systems are critically evaluated, revealing how MXene/MOF hybrids enhance ion diffusion, stabilize interfacial chemistry, accelerate conversion reactions (particularly in LSBs), and suppress dendrite growth. These composites consistently outperform their individual components, delivering significant improvements in specific capacity, rate capability, cycling stability, and overall energy efficiency. Remaining challenges and future research directions are outlined, underscoring the importance of rational MXene/MOF interface engineering for the development of durable, high-performance, and safe lithium-based batteries.