MXenes and their applications in electrochemical sensors for pharmaceutical analysis

MXenes are among the 2D materials that have been widely used in the development of electrochemical sensors, with applications in various fields, including pharmaceutical analysis. MXene-based (bio)sensors were most frequently applied to the detection of antibiotics and anticancer drugs, primarily through the catalytic oxidation of phenolic groups of drugs at suitable applied potentials. The roles and functionalities of MXenes in electrochemical (bio)sensors for drug analysis are discussed, focusing on their catalytic activity, large surface area, and abundant anchoring sites. However, recent studies show that pristine MXenes lack the capability to develop highly sensitive electrochemical sensors for drug analysis, necessitating the introduction of new functionalities through incorporation with nanoparticles, nanotubes, graphene, and metal-organic frameworks forming multifunctional composite materials. The complex synthesis process, which often involves the use of toxic hydrofluoric acid (HF), along with the susceptibility of MXenes to oxidation, represents the primary challenges in developing MXene-based electrochemical sensors. This work reviews advances in the development of MXene-based sensors for pharmaceutical analysis during the period of 2019 – 2025. It provides a critical assessment of the MXene-based sensor technology and reviews the achieved performance in pharmaceutical applications. Furthermore, it highlights future research directions that may facilitate a broader adoption of MXenes in electrochemical sensors for pharmaceutical analysis and other application areas.