of the 2D structures has approached its limit (< 90%) due to which the energy loss via reflection (2-5%) and thermal radiation heat loss (8-12%) occurs in all the 2D structures.One of the effective strategies for further improving the vapor-generation efficiency is to decrease the surface temperature of the absorber by increasing the surface area within a given projection area. [22] Some unprecedented vapor-generation rates have been reported in various 3D generators, which are all beyond the input solar energy limit. [23][24][25] Here, we have found that bamboos, as a natural hierarchical cellular material, can be excellent 3D solar vapor-generation devices due to their unique structural features. By a simple carbonization progress, the bamboos maintain remarkable mechanical property. Meanwhile, the carbonized bamboo-based evaporator possesses the following advantages: 1) natural hydrophilicity; 2) numerous aligned microchannels acting as highways for rapid water transport; 3) high light absorptance in a broad spectral range; 4) reduced thermal radiation heat loss; 5) lower average temperature than environment; 6) reduced vaporization enthalpy of water confined in the bamboo mesh; 7) remarkable mechanical properties; 8) ability of salt self-cleaning; 9) good scalability and low cost. As a result, a floating carbonized bamboo sample can evaporate water with an extremely high vapor-generation rate of 3.13 kg m −2 h −1 under 1 sun illumination. It also shows superior reusability and stability for solar vapor generation, without any performance degradation after cycling 360 h. The carbonized bamboo shows favorable overall performance compared with other reported solar vapor generators and has attractive applications in desalination as well asindustrial and domestic wastewater abatement. All of these features are elucidated below in detail.Bamboo is the fastest-growing and highest-yielding hierarchical cellular material on the Earth. A typical bamboo reaches maturity within months and ultimate mechanical properties within few years, making it one of the most renewable resources. [26] Figure 1a-c shows the illustration of the design concept for a bamboo-based solar vapor-generation device. Bamboo tubes with desired height were cut from the natural bamboo and were carbonized to make it dark. The carbonized Given the global challenges of water scarcity, solar-driven vapor generation has become a renewed topic as an energy-efficient way for clean water production. Here, it is revealed that bamboo, as a natural hierarchical cellular material, can be an excellent 3D solar vapor-generation device by a simple carbonization progress. A floating carbonized bamboo sample evaporates water with an extremely high vapor-generation rate of 3.13 kg m −2 h −1 under 1 sun illumination. The high evaporation rate is achieved by the unique natural structure of bamboos. The inner wall of bamboo recovers the diffuse light energy and the thermal radiation heat loss from the 3D bamboo bottom, and the outer wall captures energy from the warmer...

It has long been an aspirational goal to create artificial evaporators that allow omnidirectional energy absorptance, adequate water supply, and fast vapor transportation, replicating the feat of plant transpiration, to solve the global water crisis. This work reveals that magnolia fruits, as a kind of tree‐like living organism, can be outstanding 3D tree‐like evaporators through a simple carbonization process. The arterial pumping, branched diffusion, and confined evaporation are achieved by the “trunk,” “branches,” and “leaves,” respectively, of the mini tree. The mini tree possesses omnidirectional high light absorptance with minimized heat loss and gains energy from the environment. Water confined in the fruit possesses reduced vaporization enthalpy and transports quickly following the Murray's law. A record‐high vapor generation rate of 1.22 kg m−2 h−1 in dark and 3.15 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun illumination is achieved under the assistance of the gully‐like furry surface. The “absorption of nutrients” enables the fruit to recover valuable heavy metals as well as to produce clean water from wastewater efficiently. These findings not only reveal the hidden talent of magnolia fruits as cheap materials for vapor generation but also inspire future development of high‐performance, full‐time, and all‐weather vapor generation and water treatment devices.

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Rapid progress has been made in the field of fire protection during the past few decades, nevertheless, the development of fire protective clothing with prolonged durability has always been a matter for public attention. In order to prevent or minimize skin burn damage resulting from flashover, a kind of thermal protective composite fabric, the surface of which is aluminized, has been upgraded and developed. Using the UV–Vis–NIR (ultraviolet–visible–near infrared) spectrophotometer, the thermal radiation protective performance of aluminized fabrics made of basalt fiber and glass fiber were evaluated and compared. The aluminized fabrics and the substrate fabrics used were exposed to a fire environment generated by burning liquified gas for a few minutes, aiming at evaluating the protective effect of the aluminum coating and characterizing the thermal insulating performance. The results showed that the spectral reflectance of aluminized fabrics present obvious differences over a wide range of wavelengths, perhaps due to the different yarn parameters and weave structure. The fire exposure experiment indicated that the aluminized fabric of basalt fiber had better thermal protective performance than the substrate fabrics. Although the thermal insulating performance of aluminized fabrics is insufficient to provide enough time for people to focus on his/her job, the aluminized fabrics exhibit great potential application in the fields of firefighting and military. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this work, sulfur addition has been employed on the boron-doped diamond growth process, and a significant regulation of the boron doping and the growth behavior has been realized by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. It is interesting to find that the sulfur incorporation will lead to an accordant evolution on the boron doping efficiency, hole mobility and concentration, crystal quality, surface morphology, and growth rate. In the presence of sulfur with appropriate dosage, for a boron-to-carbon ratio of only 2.5 ppm in gas phase during growth, a very high doping concentration of 1.2 × 1019 at/cm3 has been achieved, indicative of a very efficient boron doping. Besides, the hole mobility of the sample is 853 cm2/V s at 300 K, which is better than the state of the art for p-type doping in diamond. The regulation mechanism of the sulfur addition will be discussed from the point of view of sulfur-induced plasma change and possible B–S complex formation. This study may provide an effective way for high-quality p-type conductive diamond layer growth and further for the potential diamond-based opto-electronic device applications.