Issue 3, 2018

Solar-driven photothermal nanostructured materials designs and prerequisites for evaporation and catalysis applications

Abstract

Solar energy is a major source of renewable energy with the potential to meet the energy demand and to support the sustainable development of the world. The efficient harvesting and conversion of solar energy is one of the key factors to maximize the utilization of solar energy. In general, solar energy can be harnessed and converted into various kinds of energy, including electricity, fuels and thermal energy, through photovoltaic, photochemical and photothermal processes, respectively. Among these technologies, photothermal conversion is a direct conversion process that has attained the highest achievable conversion efficiency. The photothermal effect has been used as a novel strategy to augment vaporization and catalysis performance. In this review, we look into the basis of the photothermal conversion process, the design of efficient photothermal conversion materials in terms of both light harvesting and thermal management, a fundamental understanding of various system schemes, and the recent progress in photothermal evaporation and catalysis applications. This review aims to afford researchers with a better understanding of the photothermal effect and provide a guide for the rational design and development of highly efficient photothermal materials in energy and environmental fields.

Graphical abstract: Solar-driven photothermal nanostructured materials designs and prerequisites for evaporation and catalysis applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
07 pro 2017
Accepted
30 sij 2018
First published
30 sij 2018

Mater. Horiz., 2018,5, 323-343

Solar-driven photothermal nanostructured materials designs and prerequisites for evaporation and catalysis applications

L. Zhu, M. Gao, C. K. N. Peh and G. W. Ho, Mater. Horiz., 2018, 5, 323 DOI: 10.1039/C7MH01064H

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