A bio-inspired, hierarchically porous structure with a decoupled fluidic transportation and evaporative pathway toward high-performance evaporation

High-rate evaporation is achieved by a delignified reed, featuring hierarchically, 3D porous structure with microchannels surrounding macrochannels, which decouples the transport and evaporation of fluids, contributing to a high evaporation rate.

Stackable nickel–cobalt@polydopamine nanosheet based photothermal sponges for highly efficient solar steam generation

Ni1Co3@PDA nanosheets were utilized as photothermal materials in a kerosene lamp-like evaporator for solar steam generation. A high evaporation rate of 2.42 kg m−2 h−1 with a corresponding energy efficiency beyond the theoretical limit was achieved.

High-performance solar vapor generation by sustainable biomimetic snake-scale-like porous carbon

Snake-scale-like porous carbon is synthesized from polycarbonate waste, and exhibits high evaporation rate (1.58 kg m−2 h−1) and energy conversion efficiency (91%).

Boosting Solar Steam Generation by Using AIE Photothermal Molecule-Doped 3D Nanofibrous Aerogel with Self-Pumping Water Function

<p>Utilizing solar energy to generate clean water by interface solar steam generation is considered to be a promising strategy to address the challenge of <a></a><a>water shortage globally.</a> However, <a></a><a>high evaporation rate and long-term sustainability have rarely been achieved simultaneously</a>, due to salt accumulation, discontinuous water supply and insufficient photothermal conversion. Herein, we demonstrate that a three-dimensional nanofibrous aerogel (3D NA) with Janus layers enables floating on the surface water by hydrophobic layer and continues pumping water by hydrophilic layer and interconnected porous structure. <a>More notably, an </a><a></a><a>aggregation-induced emission (AIE)</a> photothermal molecule is doped into nanofibers for the first time, which was endowed with superior capacity of transferring solar energy into heat. Combining these unique benefits, the presented 3D NA exhibits extremely high evaporation rate (1.99 kg m^-2 h^-1) and solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency (89%) under irradiation of 1 sun. Besides, there is no significant change in evaporation performance after 21 cycles in the case of seawater treatment, suggesting that the designed 3D NA possess sustainable stability and self-cleaning function to restrain salt deposition. With highly efficient evaporation rate and long-term sustainable solar steam generation, such 3D NA can offer new strategy for desalination and sewage treatment. </p>

Boosting Solar Steam Generation by Using AIE Photothermal Molecule-Doped 3D Nanofibrous Aerogel with Self-Pumping Water Function

<p>Utilizing solar energy to generate clean water by interface solar steam generation is considered to be a promising strategy to address the challenge of <a></a><a>water shortage globally.</a> However, <a></a><a>high evaporation rate and long-term sustainability have rarely been achieved simultaneously</a>, due to salt accumulation, discontinuous water supply and insufficient photothermal conversion. Herein, we demonstrate that a three-dimensional nanofibrous aerogel (3D NA) with Janus layers enables floating on the surface water by hydrophobic layer and continues pumping water by hydrophilic layer and interconnected porous structure. <a>More notably, an </a><a></a><a>aggregation-induced emission (AIE)</a> photothermal molecule is doped into nanofibers for the first time, which was endowed with superior capacity of transferring solar energy into heat. Combining these unique benefits, the presented 3D NA exhibits extremely high evaporation rate (1.99 kg m^-2 h^-1) and solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency (89%) under irradiation of 1 sun. Besides, there is no significant change in evaporation performance after 21 cycles in the case of seawater treatment, suggesting that the designed 3D NA possess sustainable stability and self-cleaning function to restrain salt deposition. With highly efficient evaporation rate and long-term sustainable solar steam generation, such 3D NA can offer new strategy for desalination and sewage treatment. </p>

Molten salts promoting the “controlled carbonization” of waste polyesters into hierarchically porous carbon for high-performance solar steam evaporation

Hierarchically porous carbon is synthesized from PET using ZnCl2/NaCl, exhibiting a high evaporation rate (1.68 kg m−2 h−1) and energy conversion efficiency (97%).