Interfacial Thermodynamics of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene-PVDF-PTFE Triple Interface Systems for Hierarchical Membrane Distillation
Abstract
MXene-based nanochannels created thermodynamic selectivity barriers enabling >99.6% salt rejection over 36 h operation. The composite membranes exhibited substantially reduced NaCl crystallization/deposition compared to pristine PVDF, attributed to modified surface energetics and hierarchical pore architectures that disrupt salt nucleation. Thermal analysis revealed a compounding energy benefit: higher membrane porosity reduced the effective thermal conductivity and conductive heat loss while the enhanced vapor flux increased the evaporative heat flux, raising thermal efficiency from 49% for pristine PVDF to 68% for the optimized MXene-PVDF composite and demonstrating that flux enhancement and energy efficiency can be improved simultaneously rather than traded off against each other.
Fields of Study & Subjects
MXene and MAX Phase Materials
Membrane Separation Technologies
Membrane Separation and Gas Transport
Publication details
- Journal / source
- ACS Applied Engineering Materials
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2160–2173
- Publication date
- 25 April 2026
- Language
- EN