MoS2 has been explored as a photothermal layer for solar-driven water evaporators to produce clean water. However, there have been no reports studying the effects of ultraviolet-ozone (UVO) exposure on the photothermal properties of MoS2. This study investigates the impact of UVO exposure (10, 20, and 30 minutes) on bulk 2H-MoS2 synthesized via a hydrothermal method at 200°C for 16 hours. The freshly prepared MoS2 contained high concentrations of molybdenum oxide phases, which significantly diminished after 10 minutes of UVO exposure, indicating improved purity of MoS2. The increased purity of UVO-exposed MoS2 led to a rise in layer temperature to 47.37°C, surpassing the 43.40°C temperature of MoS2 without UVO exposure. Extending the UVO exposure to 30 minutes further increased the number of surface edge sites, thereby enhancing the wettability of MoS2 due to the increased binding sites for polar water molecules. Consequently, MoS2 exposed to UVO for 30 minutes demonstrated the highest evaporation rate of 1.83 kg m−2 h−1, achieving a photothermal efficiency of 94%, a high salt rejection rate of 99.98%, and a high heavy metal ion rejection rate of 91.84%. Therefore, the application of UVO-exposed MoS2 serves as an effective photothermal layer for sustainable and eco-friendly clean water production technologies.
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