Self-Assembled Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Porphyrin-Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Janus Membrane for Dual-Functional Enabled Photothermal Desalination

作者：Baoping Zhang, Qinfen Gu, Cheng Wang, Qili Gao, Jiaxin Guo, Pak Wai Wong, C.T. Liu, Alicia Kyoungjin An · 发表于：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.1021/acsami.0c16054 · 被引用次数：160 · 研究领域：Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods、Membrane Separation Technologies、Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials

Photothermal desalination is a promising approach for seawater purification by harvesting solar energy. Titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene) membranes have been regarded as potential materials for photothermal desalination by virtue of their excellent light-to-heat conversion. However, achieving a well-balanced synergy between high evaporation rate and good salt resistance remains a significant challenge due to their limited solar absorption and inferior stability. Herein, we report a self-assembled flexible porphyrin-Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene Janus membrane (Janus PMX membrane) for dual-functional enabled photothermal desalination. The self-assembly of porphyrin on MXene not only effectively creates a favorable hydrophobic surface but also simultaneously enables efficient solar utilization. The significant interactions and charge redistribution between MXene and porphyrin lead to a stable hydrophobic/hydrophilic Janus structure with synergistically enhanced photothermal conversion. As a result, the Janus PMX membrane demonstrates highly efficient water pumping, heat localization, vapor generation, and salt resistance during photothermal desalination. This work presents an effective and facile strategy toward advancing a well-performing MXene membrane for efficient seawater desalination.