A highly efficient and durable solar evaporator based on hierarchical ion‐selective nanostructures

Abstract

Solar-driven vapor generation technology can directly produce clean water, but existing strategies remain challenging in achieving both high evaporation performance and good salt resistance due to complex water-thermal management.Here, we constructed hydrogel-based hierarchically nanostructured evaporator (HNE) with vertically aligned micro water transportation pathways and water confined ion selective nanochannels. Based on the polarity modified hierarchical structures and umbrella-shaped geometry design, HNEs can achieve highspeed water transfer at low saturated water content to realize efficient heat energy confinement, and provide more heat exchange sites. Consequently, an exciting water evaporation rate of 3.68 kg m À2 h À1 and the efficiency of 91.1% were achieved under 1 sun solar radiation. More importantly, the overlapping electrical double layer in the narrow nanochannels endows the ions selectivity of the nanochannel to reject anions, resulting in reliable long-term salt resistance. The ingenious design was creatively confirmed by streaming potential and validated during long-term efficient work.

Cormorant-inspired macro-porous hydrogel thin film evaporators for boosting cost-effective solar water purification

“…The characteristic salt precipitation during water purification was crucial to maintaining the performance of the evaporator, and we wanted to improve the salt-rejecting performance of the evaporator by adjusting the shape of the holder and the evaporator. 28,29,[32][33][34][35] We made five different holders with IT-HAG-F 0.3 mm for water evaporation under 1 sun (Fig. S13 †).…”

Green recycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) into Ni‐MOF nanorod for simultaneous interfacial solar evaporation and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

“…52 The evaporation enthalpy of water in different evaporators is calculated by dark evaporation test. [53][54][55] The water mass reduction under dark condition within 60 min (Figure 6A) is 115 mg (blank), 137 mg (cotton cloth), 154 mg (Ni-MOF evaporator), 163 mg (CB evaporator), or 178 mg (Ni-MOF + CB evaporator). Thereupon, the water evaporation enthalpy is calculated as 2.43, 2.01, 1.79, 1.69, and 1.55 kJ g À1 , respectively (Data S2).…”

JUJUNCAO-Stem-Based Interfacial Solar-Driven Evaporator with Natural Two-Phase Composite Structures of Functional Partition and Inherent Ultralow Vaporization Enthalpy of Water for Stable and Efficient Steam Production

“…Using green and renewable solar energy to obtain drinking water is an ideal solution for the lack of drinkable water and also a practical strategy to settle the uneven distribution of water resources. Recently, interfacial solar-driven evaporation (ISE) is emerging as a high-efficiency and environmentally friendly water treatment technique for generating freshwater from unconventional water resources. − ISE devices mainly consist of three functional units, including light-absorbing layer, heat-insulation system, and water-delivery network. − The light-absorbing layer is composed of photothermal materials that are able to absorb sunlight and convert it into heat energy . The photothermal materials with high light absorption behavior in a wide wavelength range can enhance solar energy utilization for ISE devices.…”