Spongy and anti-pollution MXene/Ag2S/cellulose acetate membrane for sustainable solar-driven interfacial evaporation and water purification

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SIE) technology stands out as a promising approach for seawater desalination, leveraging solar energy efficiently in an environmentally friendly manner. However, the enrichment of organic pollutants on the interfacial evaporator has posed significant obstacles to the sustained implementation of SIE. Herein, a spongy, anti-pollution cellulose acetate membrane consisting of Ag2S-doping MXene nanosheets (MT-Ag2S/CAM) is proposed for sustainable desalination. The MT-Ag2S/CAM exhibited ultralow water vaporization enthalpy of 1.50 kJ g−1. Meanwhile, the MT-Ag2S/CAM, featured by high porosity (75.25 %), excellent light absorption and salt resistance, demonstrated a notable solar-driven evaporation rate of 1.8 kg m−2h−1 and a remarkable photothermal conversation efficiency of 91.6 % under one sun irradiation. Meanwhile, MT-Ag2S/CAM can realize a removal efficiency of 93.3 % for methylene blue, exhibiting outstanding anti-pollution and self-cleaning capabilities as well as long-term stability due to its strong mechanical properties. Finally, a device for sustainable desalination, water purification and clean water collection is designed and implemented in a practical SIE process.