Mesoporous carbon hollow spheres loaded with Fe/Fe3C as efficient solar vapour generation materials

Abstract

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology has great potential in solving the global challenge of freshwater shortage. However, the selection of excellent photothermal conversion materials is a challenging task. To achieve efficient solar interface evaporation materials, we developed a new material loaded with Fe/Fe₃C nanoparticles on mesoporous carbon hollow spheres (MCHSs). As an interfacial evaporation material, Fe/Fe₃C@MCHS-x has an evaporation rate of 1.633 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an energy conversion efficiency of 94.17% (Fe/Fe₃C@MCHS-2). The innovative introduction of magnetic particles into the evaporation unit allows the metal nanoparticles to absorb light at their resonance wavelength. This absorption leads to the excitation of electrons from the occupied state to the unoccupied state, and the diffusion of thermoelectrons leads to an increase of carriers, which makes the interface temperature rise rapidly. The composite material has a certain degree of organic pollution treatment capability along with high-efficiency water evaporation, which provides new ideas for interfacial evaporation material technology.