Gradient heating induced better balance among water transportation, salt resistance and heat supply in a high performance multi-functional solar-thermal desalination device

Chen, Chuanliang; Xiong, Lianhu; Zhang, Xuezhong; Tian, Ke; Dai, Zijian; Fu, Qiang; Deng, Hua

doi:10.1039/d3mh01105d

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Additionally, rapid and sustained water transport from the bulk to the gas phase is crucial. 7 With careful optical design, water supply channel optimization, and thermal management, the energy conversion efficiency of solar desalination and wastewater treatment technologies has been greatly enhanced. 8 Based on the lightto-thermal conversion mechanisms, there are three categories of photothermal materials�plasmonic nanoparticles of metal (e.g., Au), 9,10 semiconductors, 11,12 and thermal vibration materials such as polymers 13,14 and carbon-based materials, 15−17 while hybrid materials have also been explored.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…18 An ideal photothermal material should have two characteristics: (1) high light absorptivity, ensuring efficient conversion of broadband solar radiation into thermal energy while minimizing heat loss to the surroundings and (2) rapid and sustained water transport from the bulk to the gas phase. 7,8 Wood biochar monolith (WBMs) are highly carbonized (>90 wt % C) solid biochar pieces (cm 3 in dimensions) derived from woody precursors via pyrolysis at high temperatures (up to 1000 °C) and differ from partially carbonized wood. Being a monolith, WBM retains characteristic anatomical features of wood, such as rays, vessels, and tracheids.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To achieve efficient solar evaporation, it is essential to increase light absorptivity, ensuring a high conversion of broadband solar radiation into thermal energy while minimizing heat loss to the surroundings. Additionally, rapid and sustained water transport from the bulk to the gas phase is crucial . With careful optical design, water supply channel optimization, and thermal management, the energy conversion efficiency of solar desalination and wastewater treatment technologies has been greatly enhanced .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High-Efficiency Photothermal Water Evaporation under Low-Intensity Sunlight Using Wood Biochar Monolith

Mahdian,

Chen,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Langmuir

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Utilizing energy directly from the sun, solar water evaporation drives the global hydrological cycle and produces freshwater from saline water in the oceans and on land. As water is a poor solar absorber, a photothermal material is needed to facilitate the conversion of photons to thermal energy and increase the efficiency of solar desalination. However, the current photothermal materials are less efficient and expensive to be manufactured. Inspired by nature, we created a new photothermal material called a wood biochar monolith (WBM) by carbonizing wood using the pyrolysis process at 1000 °C and subsequently steaming at high pressure. Under low light intensity (193 W/m 2 ), the light to vapor efficiency of maple WBM is more than 100%. The outstanding performance of WBM is attributed to (1) the facilitated water transport in the hierarchical, open-pore network preserved from the wood precursor in WBM and (2) the reduced evaporation enthalpy of confined water in WBM and the high broadband sunlight absorptivity of WBM. Moreover, the high evaporation rate causes the temperature of WBM to be lower than that of the surrounding water, enabling thermal energy harvesting by WBM from water and making a light-to-vapor efficiency of >100% feasible. This discovery offers opportunities for developing low-cost, high-performance water desalination or humidification devices deployable in remote areas with nonconcentrated natural sunlight.

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