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In this study, an attempt was made to pretreat seawater using polyethersulfone (PES) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) incorporated with titania-based binary metal oxides. Two different titania-based binary metal oxides were prepared, namely titania-zirconia (TiZr) and titania-zinc oxide (TiZn). The influence of hydrophilic and negatively charged sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) polymer as additive of PES MMMs was also studied. Morphological and elemental analysis revealed that both ZrO 2 and ZnO were well dispersed in the as-prepared binary metal oxide TiZr and TiZn, respectively.. Thermogravimetry analysis indicated the good compatibility of TiZr and TiZn with the SPEEK/PES polymer. The binary metal oxide incorporated SPEEK/ PES MMMs exhibited improved hydrophilic properties with a low water contact angle of 57 ± (0.6). SPEEK/PES MMMs incorporated with 0.5 wt% TiZr exhibited the highest permeability of 3.11 × 10 −7 ± (0.2) m/sÁkPa. Seawater pretreatment performance of membranes evaluated using natural organic matters containing high salinity feed water. TiZr and TiZn incorporated SPEEK/ PES MMMs exhibited 95% rejection for humic acid. SPEEK/PES MMMs loaded with 0.5 wt% TiZr also showed the highest water flux and 87% water recovery within 90 min of seawater filtration. Both PES/SPEEK/TiZr and PES/SPEEK/ TiZn MMMs exhibited superior antibacterial activity.

Switching from conventional to renewable solar energy has colossal cost-parity challenges. [1] Cost parity in favor of photovoltaics (PV) could be made by maximizing wattage to cost ratio (W/$) [2] for solar cells. High W/$ matric could be achieved by using affordable material, fabrication process, mass scale production, and highefficiency device configuration with better wattage output. In the current PV research landscape, the primary aim of all the research efforts is to maximize output efficiency or lower the overall input cost. Nonsilicon alternatives such as Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 , Sb 2 Se 3, and FeS 2 offer exciting cost reductions owing to low material utilization in thin films, lower cost, and faster throughput fabrication process due to state-of-the-art nanotechnology. [3] Additionally, thin-film sulfide/selenide materials, such as Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) and Sb 2 S 3, are potentially cost-effective owing to the earth-abundant constituent elements. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Realizing high efficiency in low-cost systems is critical to substantiate PV as a future energy source. PV must simultaneously outperform on both the technological and economic fronts. Newer low-cost materials with high-efficiency yielding configuration and device design are required for achieving high W/$ matric. The practical approach to competitive PV narrowed down to two-variable between input cost (material and fabrication) of thin-film solar cells and a high-efficiency technique.In this line, cost-effective chalcogenide material (sulfides, selenides) with a high-efficiency configuration, such as a dualabsorber device design [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] for high-efficiency is pursued in this study. The double-absorber technique utilizes two distinct bandgap absorbers to cover a broader spectrum reducing spectrum losses (thermalization and non-absorption). We have taken CZTS and Sb 2 Se 3 absorber pairs for double absorbers as they are earth-abundant, nontoxic, potentially low-cost alternative absorber materials for PV. [21] Among all upcoming cost-effective PV materials (like CZTS, Sb 2 S 3 , SnS, FeS 2 , etc.), CZTS and Sb 2 Se 3 are the only material which has shown practical efficiency beyond the 10% mark. [22] These have excellent absorption properties and optimal bandgap with wide tunability. [23,24] The substitution of selenium in place of sulfur could tune their bandgap in Cu 2 ZnSn(S x Se 1Àx ) 4 (CZTSSe) [25] and Sb 2 S x Se 3Àx . [26] Solution-processable, high-throughput, and energy-efficient

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