A Ternary Pt/Au/TiO₂‐Decorated Plasmonic Wood Carbon for High‐Efficiency Interfacial Solar Steam Generation and Photodegradation of Tetracycline

Abstract

A ternary Pt/Au/TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) decorated plasmonic wood carbon has been successfully fabricated by a simple two‐step calcination method. The as‐prepared Pt/Au/TiO2 NP‐decorated wood carbon showed an interfacial solar steam generation efficiency up to 90.4 %. Furthermore, the floating system exhibits an excellent photodegradation of tetracycline (TC; 40 mg L−1). Up to 94 % degradation was achieved after 80 min of continuous light irradiation (λ>420 nm) with the assistance of solar steam process. The photocatalysis is promoted by the introduction of Pt/Au nanocomponents, which suppress the recombination of electron–hole pairs generated on TiO2 and facilitate electron transfer. High‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was employed to identify the reaction products of the photocatalytic system and a mechanistic insight was also provided. The as‐prepared three‐dimensional plasmonic wood carbon has a high photocatalytic performance. Such wood carbon‐based system is recyclable and scalable for practical and versatile solar‐driven clean water generation.

Metal-free functionalized carbonized cotton for efficient solar steam generation and wastewater treatment

“…The CC bers with nearly full solar spectrum absorption, efficient photo-thermal conversion and low-cost could provide excellent alternatives to the high-cost plasmonicbased materials for solar water desalination. 7,8,20,43 However, because of the signicant heat loss due to the large heat capacity of water, porous CC bers that oat on the surface of water are desired for efficient steam generation. To achieve this goal, we designed a new device to mount the CC bers on low-density polymer foams to facilitate the buoyancy and oating capability of the bers.…”

“…Materials used for solar photothermal energy conversion through heat localization are highly sought aer for their cost savings, clean environmental impact and broad utility in providing water heating and/or steam for many applications including solar-driven desalination. Thus far, various materials have been utilized in fabricating steam generation devices such as metals, 3,4,15 metal oxides, 16,17 metal suldes, 18 plasmonic metal nanoparticles, 7,8,[19][20][21][22] and carbon-based composites. 12,[23][24][25][26][27] However, bulk metals such as copper and aluminum have limited utility because of their inexibility for tailored applications, high cost and limited availability.…”

“…Also, the utility of plasmonic metal nanoparticles, although efficient, can be economically disadvantageous due to the high cost and complicated synthesis and processing. 7,8,20,21 On the contrary, carbon-based materials can be eco-friendly, low cost and energy efficient due to their low heat conductivity and most importantly they can absorb light in a wide wavelength range expanded over visible and near infrared (NIR) regions of solar spectrum. 23,24,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Nevertheless, carbonized materials also possess several drawbacks including material shedding and poor mechanical properties, hydrophobicity with lack of wettability and porosity, and limited durability.…”

Wood‐Derived Carbon Materials and Light‐Emitting Materials

“…CW‐SSGDs typically have two layers, a photothermal layer and a wood matrix. [ 159–163 ] Current CW‐SSGDs can be divided into two types: those with surficial carbonization and those with complete carbonization. First, CW‐SSGDs based on surficially carbonized wood are introduced.…”

Emerging Technologies for Green Energy Conversion and Storage

“…Solar‐powered desalination was recently explored and highlighted as a significant technology by solar to heat energy conversion. [ 21–23 ] This kind of technology does not convert solar energy to electricity, but utilizes the solar‐heat energy to purify sea water. However, complicated technology, expensive cost, and low‐efficiency have limited its practical application.…”