Abstract
Solar vapor generation, which can separate the soluble or dispersing contaminants from water, is particularly desirable owing to its green energy utilization for water purification technology. Here, we present a concept of enhancing solar vapor generation by tailoring surface topography of the hydrogel-based solar evaporator. Via nanotexture-enhanced heat flux at the evaporation front, the obtained solar evaporator achieves a water evaporation rate of ∼2.6 kg m -2 h -1 at ∼91% energy efficiency under one sun (1 kW m -2 ). An easy-to-install solar still based on this solar evaporator consisting of cost-effective poly(vinyl alcohol) and activated carbon is deployed to demonstrate the potential for domestic or urgent water purification purposes. Such new design principles of hydrogel-based solar evaporators provides a useful means for surface-enhanced water evaporation to inspire scalable and processable solar evaporators from accessible raw materials.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2530-2536 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Apr 2019 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Solar vapor generation
- desalination
- hydrogel
- surface topography
- water purification