Electricity generation based on a photothermally driven Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanofluidic water pump

A popular method to harvest solar power is to convert light to heat, then to the kinetic energy of water, and finally to electricity, so-called concentrating solar power. However, it requires highly bulky components, limiting the applications. In this study, we present a miniaturized nanofluidic version—simply placing a MXene film on ionic solution and exposing part of the film to light. The distinguished photothermal property of MXene converts the asymmetric light irradiation to a water evaporation gradient, pumping water through the nanofluidic channels in the film, which transports cations and results in an ionic current. We expect this study to inspire more studies to explore the possibility of nanofluidic photothermal electricity as an alternative solar electricity technology for dispatched electricity generation and powering microfluidic/nanofluidic devices.