Fabrication of Chitosan-Based Hydrogel Embedded with Antibacterial AgMXene Nanocomposites as Photothermal Centers for Solar Steam Generation and Purification

As a ubiquitous phototo-thermal energy conversion process, solar-driven interfacial steam generation has gained considerable attention as a potential alternative to traditional bulk heating-based evaporation technology. Nevertheless, microbial contamination and biofilm plugging often occur, which considerably impede the practical applications of this technology. Herein, we present the development of a high-performance and antibacterial solar steam generator by incorporating two-dimensional (2D) AgMXene nanocomposites into three-dimensional (3D) chitosan hydrogel networks to produce a 3D AgMXene@Chitosan hydrogel (denoted as the AM/CH) evaporator. Owing to the synergistic effects of chitosan hydrogel platform with inherent sterilization ability and AgMXene nanocomposites with photoinduced antibacterial effect, 3D AM/CH could totally kill Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus when exposed to simulated solar light irradiation, guaranteeing the production of potable water devoid of microorganisms. Leveraging the efficient photothermal conversion capabilities and practical water conveyance in 3D networks, the AgMXene@Chitosan hydrogel-based steam generator exhibited interesting solar interfacial steam generation performance, with a solar evaporation rate and evaporation efficiency of 1.59 kg m–2 h–1 and 93.00% under light irradiation with an intensity of 0.1 W cm–2. Moreover, the AM/CH evaporator also demonstrated satisfactory seawater desalination capacity, excellent purification ability for dye molecules, and self-cleaning properties. These findings suggest that the design concept of AM/CH could deliver a multipurpose platform for solar-thermal energy conversion and clean water supply for human use.