A durable monolithic polymer foam for efficient solar steam generation

Chen, Qiaomei; Pei, Zhiqiang; Xu, Yanshuang; Li, Zhen; Yang, Yang; Wei, Yen; Ji, Yan

doi:10.1039/c7sc02967e

Cited by 249 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…For comparison, in Table 1, we summarized part of the solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies of many recent works based on different photothermal materials, for instance, plasmonic metal materials, 1,28,78 ceramic-based materials, 8,36 carbon-based materials, 3,10,24,25 polymer materials, 40,44,45,[58][59][60]62,63 and semiconductor materials. 30,33,35,81 It can be clearly seen that various solar steam generation devices with high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies have been reported (such as carbon nanotubes of approximately 86.8%, 24 Ag of approximately 83%, 38 MoS 2 of approximately 80.1%) 35 ; however, both the high price of precious metal-based materials and the complicated synthesized methods of semiconductorbased materials are greatly hampered the practical application.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…30,33,35,81 It can be clearly seen that various solar steam generation devices with high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies have been reported (such as carbon nanotubes of approximately 86.8%, 24 Ag of approximately 83%, 38 MoS 2 of approximately 80.1%) 35 ; however, both the high price of precious metal-based materials and the complicated synthesized methods of semiconductorbased materials are greatly hampered the practical application. 40,44,45,[58][59][60]62,63 40,44,45,[58][59][60]62,63 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, benefiting from the exploration of a number of photothermal, including carbon-based materials (carbon black, CNTs, graphene, GO, and rGO), 18 [40][41][42][43][44][45] because of their broadband and high light absorption, great progress has been made in the design and fabrication of high efficiency solar steam generation devices. In recent years, benefiting from the exploration of a number of photothermal, including carbon-based materials (carbon black, CNTs, graphene, GO, and rGO), 18 [40][41][42][43][44][45] because of their broadband and high light absorption, great progress has been made in the design and fabrication of high efficiency solar steam generation devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ chemo‐polymerized polypyrrole‐coated filter paper for high‐efficient solar vapor generation

et al. 2019

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It is well recognized that combining nonpotable water with solar energy to desalinate water and produce water vapor is an effective route to solve the shortage of fresh water. However, the solar vapor generation suffers from either low solar energy efficiency or complex and high-cost devices. Herein, we explore a black membrane based on polypyrrole (PPy) and filter paper to enhance solar-to-vapor conversion performance, thus providing a low-cost, stable, and strong efficient solar vapor generator. This device displays high solarto-vapor conversion efficiencies of up to approximately 92.2% and 95.6% under irradiation of 1 and 4 kW m −2 , respectively. Therefore, this paper-based high solar-to-vapor conversion and scalable evaporator provides a promising solution to the problem of freshwater scarcity and nonrenewable recourses.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ chemo‐polymerized polypyrrole‐coated filter paper for high‐efficient solar vapor generation

et al. 2019

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“…However, this process usually suffers form high concentration sunlight because of the large energy losses, which hinders the large‐scale productions. To enhance the energy conversion efficiency, a method constructing floating porous photo‐thermal materials at the air‐water interface has attracted extensive attentions . Similar to natural plant transpiration and human sweating system, the heat generated by absorbers can be effectively localized at the interface and facilitate the vapor production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen‐Defected Molybdenum Oxides Hierarchical Nanostructure Constructed by Atomic‐Level Thickness Nanosheets as an Efficient Absorber for Solar Steam Generation

Yang

Feng

et al. 2018

Solar RRL

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Solar steam generation is a potential approach for fresh water recycling, thus attracting increasing attention recently. To further promote water evaporation rate, some new materials need to be developed, such as plasmonic transition metal oxides. In this work, we report an oxygen‐defected molybdenum oxides hierarchical nanostructure (MoOx HNS) composed of ultrathin nanosheets with atomic‐level thickness, which is demonstrated as an efficient absorber for solar steam generation. Benefiting from broadband light absorption and special assembled architecture, the resulting MoOx HNS loaded on a PTFE membrane (MoOx HNS Membrane) exhibits excellent performance for boosting steam generation rate. Under 1 sun (1 kW m−2) illumination, the evaporation rate can reach at 1.255 kg m−2 h−1, with the energy conversion efficiency of 85.6%, which is one of the best performance compared with other desalination materials. Meanwhile, the MoOx HNS Membrane can achieve high‐performance seawater desalination in both laboratorial and outdoor conditions. The enhanced water evaporation performance can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the efficient solar‐to‐thermal conversion and the unique channel structure. This work expands the scope of investigated materials which can be applied in seawater desalination system.

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“…In this special structure, the bottom carbon foam is thermally insulating to reduce heat losses to the underlying bulk water, and the top exfoliated graphite layer acts as the solar absorber. [64] Apart from above-mentioned two-layer structure, diverse 3D bulk solar absorbers with low thermal conductivity and moderate thickness can also act as the photothermal convertor, as well as prevent heat losses to the bulk water, such as synthetic polymer foam (0.057 W m −1 K −1 ), [124] GO aerogel (0.047-0.035 W m −1 K −1 ), [63] silica/Au gel, [44] and polymer hydrogel. [110] Since then, the introduction of the insulating porous supporters has been considered as the most effective method to reduce heat losses and realize thermal management.…”

Section: Strategies For Enhancing Water Evaporation Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing Solar‐Driven Photothermal Effect toward the Water–Energy Nexus

et al. 2019

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Producing affordable freshwater has been considered as a great societal challenge, and most conventional desalination technologies are usually accompanied with large energy consumption and thus struggle with the trade‐off between water and energy, i.e., the water–energy nexus. In recent decades, the fast development of state‐of‐the‐art photothermal materials has injected new vitality into the field of freshwater production, which can effectively harness abundant and clean solar energy via the photothermal effect to fulfill the blue dream of low‐energy water purification/harvesting, so as to reconcile the water–energy nexus. Driven by the opportunities offered by photothermal materials, tremendous effort has been made to exploit diverse photothermal‐assisted water purification/harvesting technologies. At this stage, it is imperative and important to review the recent progress and shed light on the future trend in this multidisciplinary field. Here, a brief introduction of the fundamental mechanism and design principle of photothermal materials is presented, and the emerging photothermal applications such as photothermal‐assisted water evaporation, photothermal‐assisted membrane distillation, photothermal‐assisted crude oil cleanup, photothermal‐enhanced photocatalysis, and photothermal‐assisted water harvesting from air are summarized. Finally, the unsolved challenges and future perspectives in this field are emphasized. It is envisioned that this work will help arouse future research efforts to boost the development of solar‐driven low‐energy water purification/harvesting.

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A durable monolithic polymer foam for efficient solar steam generation

Abstract: A self-floating sturdy polymer foam which by itself enables efficient solar steam generation without optical concentration.

Cited by 249 publications

References 34 publications

In situ chemo‐polymerized polypyrrole‐coated filter paper for high‐efficient solar vapor generation

In situ chemo‐polymerized polypyrrole‐coated filter paper for high‐efficient solar vapor generation

Oxygen‐Defected Molybdenum Oxides Hierarchical Nanostructure Constructed by Atomic‐Level Thickness Nanosheets as an Efficient Absorber for Solar Steam Generation

Harnessing Solar‐Driven Photothermal Effect toward the Water–Energy Nexus

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