A Review on the Application of MXene-Polymer Nanocomposites in Solar Water Desalination

Solar radiation is a promising source for sustainable energy conversion and storage in many scientific and technological fields. Recently, the use of photothermal absorbers located at the water-air interface to generate steam has attracted a lot of attention, because the heat loss into the bulk water reduces by the localized heat, resulted in an improved solar steam efficiency. The structure of absorbers and salt resistance are two crucial parameters for water transport and desalination stability. As a new member of promising 2D materials, MXene has advantages including metallic conductivity, flexibility, diverse surface chemistry, and favorable optical and mechanical properties. These unique properties have attracted a lot of attention, and research on MXene has been intensively conducted and innovative applications have been reported in various fields. At the same time, various MXene/polymer nanocomposites have been developed and many wonderful results have been reported. In this article, the studies conducted in the field of MXene-polymer nanocomposite synthesis and their application in solar water desalination are reviewed. It should be noted that in recent years, limited studies have been done in this field, and there is a very high potential for further research.