Reduced Graphene Oxide Coated Hollow Polyester Fibers for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Abstract

Solar steam generation based on photothermal materials has emerged as a green and efficient technology for a broad variety of applications, such as solar energy harvesting, desalination, power generation, wastewater treatment, and so on. Herein, the fabrication of a kind of a novel photothermal material that is prepared by simple coating of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) onto commercial hollow polyester fibers (HPFs) for efficient solar steam generation is reported. The as‐resulted rGO‐wrapped HPFs possess a porous structure, low thermal conductivity (0.042 W m−1 k−1), and broad light absorption (85%), which satisfies the criterion for construction of ideal photothermal materials. As expected, a high solar‐thermal efficiency of ≈81% is obtained at 1 kW m−2 irradiation, showing great potential for practical applications based on high solar energy conversion efficiency and a simple and, in particular, scalable manufacturing process.

Modified Hollow Glass Microspheres/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Aerogels with Low Thermal Conductivity for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation

“…GO suspension was prepared according to a modified Hummers method reported in the literature. 35 To fabricate aerogels, separately, 10 mL of GO suspension (5 mg/mL), 40 μL of ethylenediamine (EDA), and 0.2 g of AHGM were added into the Teflon lining of the autoclave, followed by magnetic stirring for 1 h. Then, the Teflon lining was transferred into an autoclave and reacted at 120 °C for 6 h. After the temperature gradually fell to room temperature, the hydrogel was obtained. Next, the hydrogel is dried by two drying methods.…”

Polymeric materials for solar water purification

“…Considering the popularity of commercial polymeric fibers and the possibility of scaling-up of them, Wang et al have fabricated novel integrated photothermal materials by simply encapsulating reduced graphene oxide onto commercial hollow polyester fibers. 59 The low thermal conductivity of coated polyesters materials (0.048 W m À1 K À1 , Figure 3a) and high absorbance endow the fiber-based materials with a good solar-thermal efficiency ≈81% at 1 kW m À2 . In comparison, traditional polymeric fiber-based materials that are restricted by limited enhancement of porosity and manipulation of microstructures may not show better performances.…”

Recent Progress on the Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporation Based on Natural Products and Synthetic Polymers

“…Liu et al [ 87 ] based on the dual‐functional structure of natural sugarcane stems; the evaporation conversion efficiency of the natural cane stem was 87.4% under 1 sun irradiation after carbonization and desugar on its surface ( Figure a). Li and coworkers [ 88 ] used PPy‐modified sugarcane as SSGD, and the energy conversion efficiency is up to 90.6% under 1 sun irradiation. The two‐functional structure that widely existed in the stem of woody plants is expected to open a new avenue for design of more efficient and cost‐effective photothermal conversion devices in the future.…”