Unidirectional Moisture Delivery via a Janus Photothermal Interface for Indoor Dehumidification: A Smart Roof

Abstract

Rational control of the humidity in specific environments plays an important role in green building, equipment protection, etc. A smart apparatus that can actively expel inner moisture and largely prevent outer liquid penetration can be highly desirable. Through the integration of the Janus interface with unidirectional liquid manipulation and the solar evaporating layer, here, a Janus solar dehumidifying interface (JSDI) is designed for the switchable moisture management of an indoor environment. By covering with the JSDI roof, the continuous elimination of inner water is achieved via outward condensate delivery and solar evaporation on sunny days. On rainy days, JSDI with a hydrophobic lower surface can largely hamper inward liquid leakage and then spontaneously drain the accumulated water via a siphoning structure. The real‐world water evaporation rate via the JSDI is ≈0.38 kg m−2 h−1 on an autumn day, showing a promising function of in situ moisture expelling. In addition, the JSDI is made of natural materials that are easy to scale up with a cost of four dollars per square meter. It is envisioned that the JSDI may meet the wide requirements of indoor dehumidification and update the understanding of the integration of Janus interfaces and solar steam generation.

Capillary Action Promoted Enhanced Photothermal Desalination and Separation of Impurities from Water using Honeycomb Structured Porous Magnetic Nanoparticles Derived from Waste Biomass

“…Supporting the deicing results concerning faster phase change of water from solid to liquid can be ascribed to the absorption of IR and near-IR from the light source. The IR spectrum, as shown in Figure (d) has been plotted in terms of absorbance, where it strongly absorbs all the NIR irradiation between 1000 and 2500 nm . This essentially indicates that it can absorb NIR irradiation from the surroundings and gets heated up, which further transfers the heat to the adjacent phases.…”

“…The IR spectrum, as shown in Figure 12(d) has been plotted in terms of absorbance, where it strongly absorbs all the NIR irradiation between 1000 and 2500 nm. 58 This essentially indicates that it can absorb NIR irradiation from the surroundings and gets heated up, which further transfers the heat to the adjacent phases.…”

Designing Janus Two-Dimensional Porous Materials for Unidirectional Transport: Principles, Applications, and Challenges

“…On the other hand, there has been a growing interest in human wet-thermal management, and these intelligent Janus fabrics can transport sweat from the inner hydrophobic side to the outer hydrophilic side, maintaining dry and comfortable skin. − Since the driving forces of unidirectional transport in Janus 2D porous materials arise from their asymmetric structure or properties, this does not require additional energy input. The unidirectional transport characteristic of Janus materials can also find applications in energy conservation and emission reduction, such as in building dehumidification …”

“…The unidirectional transport characteristic of Janus materials can also find applications in energy conservation and emission reduction, such as in building dehumidification. 37 To date, a growing body of researches has been reported on the unidirectional transport of Janus 2D porous materials. It is noteworthy that the unidirectional transport feature of Janus materials endows them with superior performance in multiphase processes compared to conventional materials with uniform properties.…”

Hierarchical CuO/ZnO Heterojunction with Improved Spectrum Absorption for Interfacial Solar Steam Generation

“…The excellent performance of ISSG chiefly depends on these critical criteria: (1) powerful light capture and photothermal conversion to get more heat energy, (2) optimized thermal transfer controls to minimize heat loss, (3) quick water transportation to replenish water loss, and (4) excellent steam escape. , In view of this, the light capture layer is the key factor for achieving an evaporation rate and efficient water purification. − Currently, various photothermal materials with powerful light capture across the solar spectrum have been widely reported, including plasma nanoparticles, − carbon-based materials, − functional biomass materials, − organic polymers, − organic frameworks, − transition metal nitrides − and semiconductors. − …”