Catalysis makes possible a chemical reaction by increasing the transformation rate. Hydrogenation of carbon–carbon multiple bonds is one of the most important examples of catalytic reactions. Currently, this type of reaction is carried out in petrochemistry at very large scale, using noble metals such as platinum and palladium or first row transition metals such as nickel. Catalysis is dominated by metals and in many cases by precious ones. Here we report that graphene (a single layer of one-atom-thick carbon atoms) can replace metals for hydrogenation of carbon–carbon multiple bonds. Besides alkene hydrogenation, we have shown that graphenes also exhibit high selectivity for the hydrogenation of acetylene in the presence of a large excess of ethylene.

MAX phases and MXenes are important materials that have recently gained great popularity due to their special properties, which render them particularly useful in many applications, including catalytic ones. This can be seen in the large number of publications that appear annually on these materials and their applications. This review aims to evaluate MAX phases and MXenes as materials for heterogeneous, non-electrocatalytic, catalytic applications. The review begins with a brief introduction to the MAX phase and MXene properties that recommend them as potential materials for heterogeneous catalytic applications, followed by four sections grouped according to the processes in which they have already proven effective. These include supports to activate the C–H or C–O bonds in applications such as dehydrogenation of light or aromatic alkanes, methanol formation from CH₄, dry reforming, and CO oxidation or the water gas shift reaction (Section 2), and their use in fine chemical reactions (Section 3) and in chemical degradation (Section 4). The last section deals with photocatalytic applications (Section 5). The review ends by highlighting the huge potential of these materials for a wide range of heterogeneous catalytic applications as well as the challenges ahead.

This review highlights the recent progress in designing electrocatalysts for producing high performance fuel cells with truly potential applicability to be used in portable devices.