Ti3C2Tx MXene-assisted solar-driven CO2 adsorption and photothermal regeneration over mesoporous SiO2

Abstract

Due to the high energy consumption associated with regenerating adsorbents with high carbon dioxide adsorption capacity, utilizing renewable solar energy as an alternative to traditional thermal energy for photothermally regenerating adsorbents is a feasible approach. In this research, a solar-induced regeneration technique has been formulated, employing fumed silica as the framework, MXene as the photothermal conversion component, and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as the site for carbon dioxide adsorption. The findings suggest that incorporating MXene can substantially enhance the photoresponsive and photothermal conversion properties of aminosilica. Beneath an brightening concentrated of 1 kW·m−2, aminosilica@MXene(7 wt%) reaches a maximum temperature of 76.8 °C, compared to only 53.4 °C when using aminosilica alone. Notably, aminosilica@MXene (7 wt%) achieves complete desorption at an illumination intensity of 2 kW·m−2. Through multiple cycling tests, aminosilica@MXene (7 wt%) demonstrates outstanding recyclability. As a result, using solar energy to power the adsorbent photothermal regeneration turns into a useful strategy for lowering the energy required for regeneration.