Membranes in Solar‐Driven Evaporation: Design Principles and Applications

Abstract

Solar‐driven evaporation process brings exciting opportunities to recover clean water and resources in a sustainable way from diverse sources like seawater and wastewater. Separation membranes, as a vital material in many environmental and energy applications, can contribute significantly to this process owing to their structural features. However, the unique roles of membranes in solar evaporator construction and process design are seldom recognized and not summarized yet from scientific principles and application demands, which forms the motivation of this review. Herein, the roles of membranes in different processes based on solar‐driven evaporation are focused and the design principles of membrane materials and devices to meet the requirements of these applications are discussed. Fabrication strategies for photothermal membranes are introduced primarily, followed by a discussion on how to design membrane materials, devices, and processes to pursue optimal performance and realize advanced functions accompanied by evaporation. Furthermore, the future of this field is forecast with both challenges and opportunities.

Robust and Elastic Thermoresponsive Hydrogels with High Swelling Properties for Efficient Solar Water Purification

“…The need for clean energy and water is anticipated to increase as a result of issues including climate change, pollution of freshwater resources, and population growth. 1 Based on the findings of the World Health Organization (WHO), it is evident that over half of the global population currently resides in regions characterized by limited access to water resources, a trend that is projected to persist until the year 2025. 2 To solve these issues, there is a pressing need to create cost-effective, long-term, high-yield water purification technologies.…”

Developing Salt-Rejecting Evaporators for Solar Desalination: A Critical Review

“…Researchers have developed numerous evaporators to maintain stable and efficient solar desalination performance. These evaporators aim to eliminate salt accumulation that occurs on the surface and interfaces. − For example, utilizing asymmetric wetting properties, hydrophobic surfaces prevent salt ions from being deposited on the solar absorption surface, thereby enabling efficient and stable solar absorption. − Another strategy involves leveraging the superhydrophilic nature of the evaporator, which helps dilute concentrated salt ions through the interconnected pores and channels within the evaporators. − More recently, a promising approach has emerged, which involves converting salt accumulation into mineral resources by manipulating the transportation pathway of the salt-containing water. − Despite the adoption of various approaches to tackle salt accumulation, there is a lack of comprehensive summary reports on design principles and corresponding semiquantitative analysis.…”