Adjustable photothermal device induced by magnetic field for efficient solar‐driven desalination

Abstract

In recent years, broad interest has arisen for solar-driven evaporation, a promising technology for next-generation desalination and sewage treatment. Efficient photothermal materials are the keys in solar-driven evaporation systems, but they are usually involved in tedious preparation and easy damage. Herein, a magnet-dominated photothermal device (MPD) with spiny surface has been developed by the direct assembly of magnetic nanoparticles in action of magnetic field. Such one-step fabrication of photothermal layer avoids the use of harmful reagent and the consumption of pure water. The adjustable spiny morphology not only benefits to the light absorption via multiple reflection, but can facilely recover from damage. Water evaporation under solar irradiation can be accelerated by MPD to over 1.70 kg m À2 h À1 , and keeps stable in a long-term desalination. Without complex fabrication and high price, MPD could be considered as a rewarding attempt for the development of novel photothermal materials in water purification.

Repurposing face mask waste to construct floating photothermal evaporator for autonomous solar ocean farming

“…To achieve high evaporation rate and solar utilization efficiency, an ideal solar evaporator should be capable of broadband light absorption in the range of 300-2500 nm while possessing a hierarchical and porous structure, of which the latter favors light trapping, capillary transportation and fast vapor release. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The fibrous network of FM thus makes itself a natural candidate material suitable for constructing efficient solar absorber.…”

Bioinspired hierarchical evaporator via cell wall engineering for highly efficient and sustainable solar desalination

“…[6][7][8][9] The critical component in the SVG system is a solar evaporator. 10,11 In recent years, numerous solar evaporators have been developed based on various functional materials [12][13][14][15][16] and bioinspired structures. 17,18 Particularly, pristine biomass materials, such as mushrooms, wood, corn straw, bamboo and so forth, prepared as typical configurations for SVG systems, attract more and more attention because of the abundance and negligible cost of raw materials.…”

Hierarchical structure regulation for sequential steps in solar vapor generation

“…Semiconductor materials have numerous advantages as solar thermal conversion materials, including excellent physical and chemical stability, adjustable band gaps, and high photothermal conversion efficiency with the widespread regulation of morphology and structure, which is also conducive to water transport. [73][74][75][76][77] Semiconductor materials also have a wide range of sources and lower costs and can be used for large-scale production. Li et al used titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 ) as a solar thermal conversion material, decreasing light reflection to less than 5%.…”