Solar interfacial evaporation has been considered as a promising method to alleviate fresh water re-sources shortage.The shortage of freshwater resources requires advanced materials that can accelerate the evaporation...Solar interfacial evaporation has been considered as a promising method to alleviate fresh water re-sources shortage.The shortage of freshwater resources requires advanced materials that can accelerate the evaporation of water by the sun.However,the simple structure of photothermal materials are vitally restricted by finite light absorption.Herein,this work presents a strategy for the synthesis of a spinel-type micro-nano hierarchical tower structure solar absorbent(Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y))with the low forbidden band(=1.56 eV)and high absorption(97.88%).The products show great potential in solar-thermal energy conversion by creating a trapping effect.The prepared solar absorbent and epoxy resin are evenly mixed and then fully immersed in polyurethane(PU)sponge for water evaporation.The hydrophilic and porous Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y)@PU sponge can quickly deliver water upwards,suppress the heat loss,and concentrate the absorbed heat on the evaporation of water.The products exhibited an excellent evaporation rate of 2.261 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) and an impressive evaporation efficiency of 156%under a single sun exposure.Besides,the samples also can maintain the stability and recycling performance for a long time.These findings show that Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y) have great application prospects in the solar interfacial evaporation.展开更多
Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable...Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable heat loss.Herein,we propose a novel interfacial evaporation structure based on the micro–nano water film,which demonstrates significantly improved evaporation performance,as experimentally verified by polypyrrole-and polydopamine-coated polydimethylsiloxane sponge.The 2D evaporator based on the as-prepared sponge realizes an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 sun by fine-tuning the interfacial micro–nano water film.Then,a homemade device with an enhanced condensation function is engineered for outdoor clean water production.Throughout a continuous test for 40 days,this device demonstrates a high water production rate(WPR)of 15.9–19.4 kg kW^(−1)h^(−1)m^(−2).Based on the outdoor outcomes,we further establish a multi-objective model to assess the global WPR.It is predicted that a 1 m^(2)device can produce at most 7.8 kg of clean water per day,which could meet the daily drinking water needs of 3 people.Finally,this technology could greatly alleviate the current water and energy crisis through further large-scale applications.展开更多
Interfacial solar water evaporation is a reliable way to accelerate water evaporation and contaminant remediation.Embracing the recent advance in photothermal technology,a functional sponge was prepared by coating a s...Interfacial solar water evaporation is a reliable way to accelerate water evaporation and contaminant remediation.Embracing the recent advance in photothermal technology,a functional sponge was prepared by coating a sodium alginate(SA)impregnated sponge with a surface layer of reduced graphene oxide(rGO)to act as a photothermal conversion medium and then subsequently evaluated for its ability to enhance Pb extraction from contaminated soil driven by interfacial solar evaporation.The SA loaded sponge had a Pb adsorption capacity of 107.4 mg g^(-1).Coating the top surface of the SA sponge with rGO increased water evaporation performance to 1.81 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)in soil media under one sun illumination and with a wind velocity of 2 m s^(-1).Over 12 continuous days of indoor evaporation testing,the Pb extraction efficiency was increased by 22.0%under 1 sun illumination relative to that observed without illumination.Subsequently,Pb extraction was further improved by 48.9%under outdoor evaporation conditions compared to indoor conditions.Overall,this initial work shows the significant potential of interfacial solar evaporation technologies for Pb contaminated soil remediation,which should also be applicable to a variety of other environmental contaminants.展开更多
Interfacial solar-driven evaporation technology shows great potential in the field of industrial seawater desalination, and the development ofefficient and low-cost evaporation materials is key to achieving large-scale ...Interfacial solar-driven evaporation technology shows great potential in the field of industrial seawater desalination, and the development ofefficient and low-cost evaporation materials is key to achieving large-scale applications. Hydrogels are considered to be promising candidates;however, conventional hydrogel-based interfacial solar evaporators have difficulty in simultaneously meeting multiple requirements, including ahigh evaporation rate, salt resistance, and good mechanical properties. In this study, a Janus sponge-like hydrogel solar evaporator (CPAS) withexcellent comprehensive performance was successfully constructed. The introduction of biomass agar (AG) into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)hydrogel backbone reduced the enthalpy of water evaporation, optimized the pore structure, and improved the mechanical properties. Meanwhile, by introducing hydrophobic fumed nano-silica aerogel (SA) and a synergistic foaming-crosslinking process, the hydrogel spontaneouslyformed a Janus structure with a hydrophobic surface and hydrophilic bottom properties. Based on the reduction of the evaporation enthalpy andthe modulation of the pore structure, the CPAS evaporation rate reached 3.56 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) under one sun illumination. Most importantly, owingto the hydrophobic top surface and 3D-interconnected porous channels, the evaporator could work stably in high concentrations of salt-water(25 wt% NaCl), showing strong salt resistance. Efficient water evaporation, excellent salt resistance, scalable preparation processes, and low-costraw materials make CPAS extremely promising for practical applications.展开更多
Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)is a promising technology to relieve worldwide freshwater shortages owing to its high energy conversion efficiency and environmentally sustainable potential.So far,many innovative mat...Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)is a promising technology to relieve worldwide freshwater shortages owing to its high energy conversion efficiency and environmentally sustainable potential.So far,many innovative materials and evaporators have been proposed and applied in ISE to enable highly controllable and efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion.With rational design,solar evaporators can achieve excellent energy management for lowering energy loss,harvesting extra energy,and efficiently utilizing energy in the system to improve freshwater production.Beyond that,a strategy of reducing water vaporization enthalpy by introducing molecular engineering for water-state regulation has also been demonstrated as an effective approach to boost ISE.Based on these,this article discusses the energy nexus in two-dimensional(2D)and three-dimensional(3D)evaporators separately and reviews the strategies for design and fabrication of highly efficient ISE systems.The summarized work offers significant perspectives for guiding the future design of ISE systems with efficient energy management,which pave pathways for practical applications.展开更多
Using minimal photothermal material to achieve maximum evaporation rate is extremely important for practical applications of interfacial solar evaporation technology.In this work,we found that with the increase in the...Using minimal photothermal material to achieve maximum evaporation rate is extremely important for practical applications of interfacial solar evaporation technology.In this work,we found that with the increase in the size of evaporation surfaces,the evaporation rate decreased.Both experimental and numerical simulation results confirmed that when the evaporation surface size increased,the middle portion of the evaporation surface acted as a‘‘dead evaporation zone”with little contribution to water evaporation.Based on this,the middle portion of the evaporation surface was selectively removed,and counterintuitively,both the evaporation rate and vapor output were increased due to the reconfigured and enhanced convection above the entire evaporation surface.As such,this work developed an important strategy to achieve a higher evaporation rate and increased vapour output while using less material.展开更多
Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)has emerged as a promising technology to alleviate global water scarcity via energy-efficient purification of both wastewater and seawater.While ISE was originally identified and deve...Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)has emerged as a promising technology to alleviate global water scarcity via energy-efficient purification of both wastewater and seawater.While ISE was originally identified and developed during studies of simple double-layered two-dimensional(2D)evaporators,observed limitations in evaporation rate and functionality soon led to the development of three-dimensional(3D)evaporators,which is now recognized as one of the most pivotal milestones in the research field.3D evaporators significantly enhance the evaporation rates beyond the theoretical limits of 2D evaporators.Furthermore,3D evaporators could have multifaceted functionalities originating from various functional evaporation surfaces and 3D structures.This review summarizes recent advances in 3D evaporators,focusing on rational design,fabrication and energy nexus of 3D evaporators,and the derivative functions for improving solar evaporation performance and exploring novel applications.Future research prospects are also proposed based on the in-depth understanding of the fundamental aspects of 3D evaporators and the requirements for practical applications.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China(Nos.51971111 and52273247)the Innovation Project of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics(No.xcxjh20210604).
文摘Solar interfacial evaporation has been considered as a promising method to alleviate fresh water re-sources shortage.The shortage of freshwater resources requires advanced materials that can accelerate the evaporation of water by the sun.However,the simple structure of photothermal materials are vitally restricted by finite light absorption.Herein,this work presents a strategy for the synthesis of a spinel-type micro-nano hierarchical tower structure solar absorbent(Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y))with the low forbidden band(=1.56 eV)and high absorption(97.88%).The products show great potential in solar-thermal energy conversion by creating a trapping effect.The prepared solar absorbent and epoxy resin are evenly mixed and then fully immersed in polyurethane(PU)sponge for water evaporation.The hydrophilic and porous Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y)@PU sponge can quickly deliver water upwards,suppress the heat loss,and concentrate the absorbed heat on the evaporation of water.The products exhibited an excellent evaporation rate of 2.261 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) and an impressive evaporation efficiency of 156%under a single sun exposure.Besides,the samples also can maintain the stability and recycling performance for a long time.These findings show that Mn_(0.6)Ni_(1.4)Co_(2)O_(y) have great application prospects in the solar interfacial evaporation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52070162)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFA0901300).
文摘Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable heat loss.Herein,we propose a novel interfacial evaporation structure based on the micro–nano water film,which demonstrates significantly improved evaporation performance,as experimentally verified by polypyrrole-and polydopamine-coated polydimethylsiloxane sponge.The 2D evaporator based on the as-prepared sponge realizes an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 sun by fine-tuning the interfacial micro–nano water film.Then,a homemade device with an enhanced condensation function is engineered for outdoor clean water production.Throughout a continuous test for 40 days,this device demonstrates a high water production rate(WPR)of 15.9–19.4 kg kW^(−1)h^(−1)m^(−2).Based on the outdoor outcomes,we further establish a multi-objective model to assess the global WPR.It is predicted that a 1 m^(2)device can produce at most 7.8 kg of clean water per day,which could meet the daily drinking water needs of 3 people.Finally,this technology could greatly alleviate the current water and energy crisis through further large-scale applications.
基金H.Xu acknowledges the financial support from the Australian Research Council(FT190100485,DP220100583)P.W.acknowledge financial support from the China Scholarship Council for primary scholarships and from the Future Industries Institute for top up scholarships.All authors acknowledge the use of Microscopy Australia facilities located at the University of South Australia,infrastructure co-funded by the University of South Australia,the South Australian State Government,and the Australian Federal Government's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy(NCRIS)scheme.
文摘Interfacial solar water evaporation is a reliable way to accelerate water evaporation and contaminant remediation.Embracing the recent advance in photothermal technology,a functional sponge was prepared by coating a sodium alginate(SA)impregnated sponge with a surface layer of reduced graphene oxide(rGO)to act as a photothermal conversion medium and then subsequently evaluated for its ability to enhance Pb extraction from contaminated soil driven by interfacial solar evaporation.The SA loaded sponge had a Pb adsorption capacity of 107.4 mg g^(-1).Coating the top surface of the SA sponge with rGO increased water evaporation performance to 1.81 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)in soil media under one sun illumination and with a wind velocity of 2 m s^(-1).Over 12 continuous days of indoor evaporation testing,the Pb extraction efficiency was increased by 22.0%under 1 sun illumination relative to that observed without illumination.Subsequently,Pb extraction was further improved by 48.9%under outdoor evaporation conditions compared to indoor conditions.Overall,this initial work shows the significant potential of interfacial solar evaporation technologies for Pb contaminated soil remediation,which should also be applicable to a variety of other environmental contaminants.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22278110)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2022M720984)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China(B2021202012)Tianjin Technical Innovation Guidance Special Project(20YDTPJC00630).
文摘Interfacial solar-driven evaporation technology shows great potential in the field of industrial seawater desalination, and the development ofefficient and low-cost evaporation materials is key to achieving large-scale applications. Hydrogels are considered to be promising candidates;however, conventional hydrogel-based interfacial solar evaporators have difficulty in simultaneously meeting multiple requirements, including ahigh evaporation rate, salt resistance, and good mechanical properties. In this study, a Janus sponge-like hydrogel solar evaporator (CPAS) withexcellent comprehensive performance was successfully constructed. The introduction of biomass agar (AG) into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)hydrogel backbone reduced the enthalpy of water evaporation, optimized the pore structure, and improved the mechanical properties. Meanwhile, by introducing hydrophobic fumed nano-silica aerogel (SA) and a synergistic foaming-crosslinking process, the hydrogel spontaneouslyformed a Janus structure with a hydrophobic surface and hydrophilic bottom properties. Based on the reduction of the evaporation enthalpy andthe modulation of the pore structure, the CPAS evaporation rate reached 3.56 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) under one sun illumination. Most importantly, owingto the hydrophobic top surface and 3D-interconnected porous channels, the evaporator could work stably in high concentrations of salt-water(25 wt% NaCl), showing strong salt resistance. Efficient water evaporation, excellent salt resistance, scalable preparation processes, and low-costraw materials make CPAS extremely promising for practical applications.
基金Authors acknowledge the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52125201 and 21975141)the National Key Basic Research and Development Program(No.2020YFA0210702)+1 种基金Shenzhen Science and Technology Research Project(No.JCYJ20180508152903208)Australian Research Council(Nos.FT190100485 and DP220100583).
文摘Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)is a promising technology to relieve worldwide freshwater shortages owing to its high energy conversion efficiency and environmentally sustainable potential.So far,many innovative materials and evaporators have been proposed and applied in ISE to enable highly controllable and efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion.With rational design,solar evaporators can achieve excellent energy management for lowering energy loss,harvesting extra energy,and efficiently utilizing energy in the system to improve freshwater production.Beyond that,a strategy of reducing water vaporization enthalpy by introducing molecular engineering for water-state regulation has also been demonstrated as an effective approach to boost ISE.Based on these,this article discusses the energy nexus in two-dimensional(2D)and three-dimensional(3D)evaporators separately and reviews the strategies for design and fabrication of highly efficient ISE systems.The summarized work offers significant perspectives for guiding the future design of ISE systems with efficient energy management,which pave pathways for practical applications.
基金financial support from the Australian Research Council(FT190100485 and DP220100583)financial support from the China Scholarship Council for primary scholarshipsthe Future Industries Institute for top up scholarships。
文摘Using minimal photothermal material to achieve maximum evaporation rate is extremely important for practical applications of interfacial solar evaporation technology.In this work,we found that with the increase in the size of evaporation surfaces,the evaporation rate decreased.Both experimental and numerical simulation results confirmed that when the evaporation surface size increased,the middle portion of the evaporation surface acted as a‘‘dead evaporation zone”with little contribution to water evaporation.Based on this,the middle portion of the evaporation surface was selectively removed,and counterintuitively,both the evaporation rate and vapor output were increased due to the reconfigured and enhanced convection above the entire evaporation surface.As such,this work developed an important strategy to achieve a higher evaporation rate and increased vapour output while using less material.
基金financial support from Australian Research Council(FT 190100485,DP 220100583,DP 230102740,and DP 240101581)。
文摘Interfacial solar evaporation(ISE)has emerged as a promising technology to alleviate global water scarcity via energy-efficient purification of both wastewater and seawater.While ISE was originally identified and developed during studies of simple double-layered two-dimensional(2D)evaporators,observed limitations in evaporation rate and functionality soon led to the development of three-dimensional(3D)evaporators,which is now recognized as one of the most pivotal milestones in the research field.3D evaporators significantly enhance the evaporation rates beyond the theoretical limits of 2D evaporators.Furthermore,3D evaporators could have multifaceted functionalities originating from various functional evaporation surfaces and 3D structures.This review summarizes recent advances in 3D evaporators,focusing on rational design,fabrication and energy nexus of 3D evaporators,and the derivative functions for improving solar evaporation performance and exploring novel applications.Future research prospects are also proposed based on the in-depth understanding of the fundamental aspects of 3D evaporators and the requirements for practical applications.
