Significant solar energy absorption of MXene Ti3C2Tx nanofluids via localized surface plasmon resonance

Efficiency is an important factor in the utilization of solar energy. Direct absorption solar energy collectors (DASCs), a new generation collector of converting solar irradiation into heat directly by nanofluids, is regarded as a promising solution for capturing solar energy with high efficiency. Both good stability and high absorption ability are crucial for nanofluids to be an ideal working fluid of DASCs. In this work, we synthesize hyperstable Ti3C2Tx-H2O nanofluids as the working fluids of DASCs and investigate its photothermal conversion performance. The results show that the maximum conversion efficiency of thin-layer Ti3C2Tx nanofluids achieves 91.9% at a very low mass fraction of 0.02 wt%, which is higher than that of multi-layer Ti3C2Tx samples. Based on the experimental results, a simulation model is built to observe the radiation energy transformation in DASCs and results show that better photothermal performance of thin-layer MXene Ti3C2Tx stems from its stronger localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. Besides, the coupling effect and the shape of Ti3C2Tx particles also play important roles in photothermal absorption and conversion. Based on our experimental and numerical results, the Ti3C2Tx-H2O nanofluids have great potential in solar energy harvesting.