Self-Cleaning Electrospun Intercalated MXene/PAN Evaporator Enables Highly Efficient Photothermal Interfacial Evaporation-Assisted Radioactive Wastewater Treatment

We developed electrospun MXene/PAN nanofiber membranes (EMPs) for efficient photothermal interfacial evaporation (PIE) in radioactive wastewater treatment. Ti3C2Tx nanosheets were uniformly intercalated into the PAN matrix during electrospinning, improving membrane stability and durability. We used the CIE Lab color space to analyze the relationship between membrane color and solar absorption, and the EMP membrane showed a strong average light absorption of 92.7%. A two-dimensional (2D) water transport structure was employed to improve water supply during evaporation. As a result, the EMP evaporator reached a high evaporation rate of 1.96 kg·m–2·h–1 and a photothermal conversion efficiency of 91.34%. The membranes also exhibited excellent nuclide rejection of I–, Cs+, Sr2+, and Co2+ and showed a self-cleaning effect as surface salts redissolved during dark periods. This work highlights the potential of combining material design and water management for solar-driven radioactive wastewater purification.