Recent advancements and assessments in MXene-based composites stability for efficient solar-heating water evaporation: A systematic and comprehensive review

MXenes, an extensive family of two-dimensional (2D) materials, have attracted significant attention across diverse fields owing to their exceptional biological, optoelectronic, mechanical, and chemical properties, enabling their application in numerous fields. Among these, photothermal water evaporation (PWE) has emerged as a particularly promising approach in wastewater treatment, driven by the escalating demand for fresh and pure water. Despite the development of various evaporators to address water scarcity, challenges such as low evaporation efficiency and limited scalability hinder their practical implementation. Over the past decade, MXenes have gained substantial interest owing to their unique elemental composition, porous structure, and surface terminations, which result in remarkable physical and chemical properties that depend on their synthesis methods. However, a key challenge in leveraging MXenes lies in their inherent instability, as they are prone to rapid oxidation upon exposure to air. Stabilizing pristine MXenes is, therefore, critical for their long-term application in PWE. This review highlights strategies to enhance the oxidation stability of MXenes through the incorporation of protective materials such as polymers, delignified wood (DW), and carbonaceous compounds, thereby improving their performance in PWE systems. Furthermore, this review delves into the development of MXene-based composite materials, exploring factors and mechanisms pertinent to their role in PWE. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of wastewater treatment.