Issue 3, 2022

All-weather-available electrothermal and solar–thermal wood-derived porous carbon-based steam generators for highly efficient water purification

Abstract

Solar steam generation devices cannot work properly under weak solar light irradiation and even no solar light. Herein, all-weather-available electrothermal and solar–thermal wood-derived porous carbon-based water steam generation devices are fabricated for highly efficient water evaporation and purification by preparing wood-derived hydrophilic and porous carbon architectures, generating grooves on their top surfaces, and coating with hydrophobic layers of carbon nanoparticles. Under solar light irradiations, the eco-friendly wood-derived steam generation device can harvest solar energy efficiently for thermally evaporating water on the basis of its solar–thermal energy conversion mechanism. Under a weak solar light irradiation or even no solar light, the steam generator can still generate clean water via its electrothermal evaporation mechanism. Under 1-sun irradiation, the steam generator exhibits a water evaporation rate of 1.49 kg m−2 h−1 with an evaporation efficiency of 77.2%. By integrating the solar–thermal and electrothermal energy conversion mechanisms, an ultrahigh water evaporation rate of 11.73 kg m−2 h−1 is readily achieved under 1-sun irradiation with a voltage of 6 V. The integration of the electrothermal and solar–thermal energy conversion mechanisms makes the environmentally friendly carbon-based steam generator all-weather-available for generating sufficient clean water from wastewater and seawater.

Graphical abstract: All-weather-available electrothermal and solar–thermal wood-derived porous carbon-based steam generators for highly efficient water purification

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
24 nov. 2021
Accepted
24 déc. 2021
First published
24 déc. 2021

Mater. Chem. Front., 2022,6, 306-315

All-weather-available electrothermal and solar–thermal wood-derived porous carbon-based steam generators for highly efficient water purification

J. Wu, X. Li, T. Zhang, X. Li, W. Li and Z. Yu, Mater. Chem. Front., 2022, 6, 306 DOI: 10.1039/D1QM01544C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements