Spray‐Coated Commercial PTFE Membrane from MoS₂/LaF₃/PDMS Ink as Solar Absorber for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Abstract

Due to its promising potential applications in seawater desalination and purification, solar steam conversion has attracted tremendous attention recently. The light‐to‐heat conversion capacity of solar absorbers directly affects the rate at which freshwater is produced by the evaporation system. Herein, an efficient double‐layer evaporator is developed using MoS2/LaF3/PDMS ink as an absorber that is printed onto a commercial PTFE membrane by the controlled ink‐spray method. The LaF3 nanoparticles‐decorated MoS2 nanoflowers nanocomposite exhibits enhanced adsorption of sunlight due to semiconductor/solid electrolyte interface synergetic effect‐induced broadband absorption ability. Combining the advantages of local heating and rapid vapor emission, the water evaporation rate of the evaporator with spray ink in sunlight is 1.76 kg m−2 h−1 and the corresponding high light‐to‐heat conversion efficiency is 91%. Also, the membrane module has good operability, certain mechanical strength, and good long‐term stability. The synergistic effect of a rare‐earth solid electrolyte and semiconductor provides new ideas for the design and development of materials with high light‐to‐heat conversion efficiency and good thermal stability.

Concentrated Acid‐Induced Dehydration of Fallen Leaves for Efficient, Sustainable, and Self‐Cleaning Solar Steam Generation

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] The development and design of photothermal conversion materials, which can absorb solar irradiation and convert it into heat, is one of the focuses in this field. [7][8][9] To date, various types of light absorbers, such as metallic nanoparticles, [10][11][12][13] carbonbased materials, [14][15][16] polymers, [17][18][19] and semiconductors [20][21][22] have been demonstrated for efficient solar absorption. [23,24] Among them, carbon-based materials, including exfoliated graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, and other carbon materials have attracted extensive attention due to their high-efficiency, chemical stability, and excellent broadband solar absorption.…”

In situ polymerized Fe2O3@PPy/chitosan hydrogels as a hydratable skeleton for solar‐driven evaporation

“…Many solar steam generation systems suffer from insufficient water production, inefficient light absorption, poor thermal management that causes massive heat losses in non‐evaporative areas and thus lowers the efficiency of systems 14–17 . Besides this, the synthesizing of self‐floating‐enabled noble material that potentially sustains the quick water supply to the localized heated area and holds long‐term stability without surface fouling under intense conditions has not been achieved successfully 18,19 . To tackle this dilemma, significant attempts are invested in the development of new potential functional materials, but still, its practical applications are limited due to significant barriers between the status quo and large‐scale applications 20,21 .…”

“…[14][15][16][17] Besides this, the synthesizing of self-floatingenabled noble material that potentially sustains the quick water supply to the localized heated area and holds longterm stability without surface fouling under intense conditions has not been achieved successfully. 18,19 To tackle this dilemma, significant attempts are invested in the develop-ment of new potential functional materials, but still, its practical applications are limited due to significant barriers between the status quo and large-scale applications. 20,21 Ceramic materials gained significant potential due to their thermal stability and anticorrosion nature.…”

Perovskite Solar Cells: Current Trends in Graphene‐Based Materials for Transparent Conductive Electrodes, Active Layers, Charge Transport Layers, and Encapsulation Layers

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Recent advancements in technology have inevitably led to a significant increase in the global energy demand, whose traditional energy sources, such as fossil fuels and nuclear energy, are failing to meet needs due to their nonrenewable nature and consequent depletion. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Moreover, fossil fuels and nuclear energy are major sources of environmental pollution, which is responsible for unfavorable global warming and climate change. [7][8][9] Hence, there has been considerable research interest in sustainable and renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, due to its natural abundance and environmentally friendly nature.

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