Topographic Manipulation of Graphene Oxide by Polyaniline Nanocone Arrays Enables High‐Performance Solar‐Driven Water Evaporation

Abstract

Tuning the surface topography of solar evaporators is of significance for boosting light absorption and enhancing solar‐to‐vapor efficiency. Herein, a novel strategy to manipulate the surface topography of graphene oxide (GO) via electrostatic assembly coupled with in situ polymerizations of aniline is reported. The GO surface is fully hybridized with the polyaniline (PANI) nanocone arrays, manifesting periodic structures with highly foldable configurations. Additionally, the PANI arrays tune the surface chemistry of GO and retard the redispersion of GO into water, thus enabling corresponding composite (PG) robust structural durability. Featuring these intriguing attributes, when applied as an evaporator in pure water, the PG delivers an improved evaporation performance of 1.42 kg m−2 h−1 and a high evaporation efficiency of 96.6% under one sun illumination. Further investigations reveal that the periodically conical structures of PANI over GO surface strengthen light absorption via multiple reflections and facilitate heat localization. Desalination test substantiates the reliability of PG for practical freshwater production. The numerical simulations and optical microscopy observation exhibit the surface topography‐strengthened vapor generation effect. This study sheds new light on the rational manipulation of surface topography of photothermal materials for high‐efficiency solar evaporation.

A promising technology: solar-driven interfacial evaporation with facilitation strategies, multifunctional applications and perspectives

“…6(c)). 25 In particular, the uniform PANI nanocone array was able to suppress the dispersion of GO in water through electrostatic interactions. In addition, the conical structure was able to reflect light multiple times, enhancing light absorption and increasing the evaporation surface area.…”

“…As for photothermal conversion materials, advances in materials science have produced many raw materials with excellent properties, such as carbon-based materials, [20][21][22] semiconductor materials, 23 plasma metallic nanomaterials, 24 and polymer materials. 25 The materials mentioned above are capable of high absorption of the full solar spectrum, which is very helpful for generating high photothermal conversion efficiency, and this is exactly what SDIE needs. In the water transfer layer, a delicate balance between transferring enough water to meet evaporative demand and minimizing thermal losses is important.…”

Achieving fast interfacial solar vapor generation and aqueous acid purification using Ti3C2TxMXene/PANI non-woven fabrics

“…Thus, the synthesis method of MXene/PANI composites should be carefully considered. 28 Herein, superhydrophilic MXene/PANI non-woven fabrics (MPs) are fabricated by in situ polymerization of PANI during a wet-spinning process. With a unique porous structure combined with a crumpled micro-surface, MPs show high absorption over the AM 1.5G solar spectrum and are able to absorb water several times their weight, ensuring the sufficient water supplement to the air-liquid interface.…”

“…Also, these hydrophilic groups make it easier for Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene to strongly interact with other hydrophilic materials like PANI through hydrogen bonds. 10,28 By using Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene as the substrate, in situ polymerization of PANI could be carried out, forming a uniform layer on the Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene surface. 29,30 However, by covering Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene with the PANI layer, the excellent photothermal conversion properties of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene will be sacrificed, further influencing the evaporation rate of the vapor generation device.…”

Synergistic NiO/Fe2O3 heterostructure-enhanced electrocatalytic performance in dye-sensitized solar cells

“…[28][29][30] Meanwhile, carbon materials have attracted extensive attention in energy conversion applications due to their high conductivity, robust chemical stability, and easily tunable surface properties. [31][32][33] However, the performance of the CE in DSSC needs to be also further improved. Combined with the above analysis, we assumed that the nano heterojunction based on Fe 2 O 3 and NiO, combined with carbon materials should have better catalytic performance.…”