Issue 16, 2019

Conductive hollow kapok fiber-PPy monolithic aerogels with excellent mechanical robustness for efficient solar steam generation

Abstract

Solar steam generation by heat localization has attracted much attention for its potential in the treatment of wastewater and seawater desalination. However, the preparation of a single-component solar receiver with low cost, simple preparation process, high mechanical strength and energy conversion efficiency is still a challenge. Herein, we report the preparation of kapok fiber-PPy aerogels with superwetting, porous structure, high light absorption, and high mechanical strength via polypyrrole modification of the Ca2+ crosslinked kapok fiber aerogels. The kapok fiber-PPy aerogels show three-dimensional structure with high porosity (94%), excellent light absorption (ca. 97%), low thermal conductivity (0.0241 W m−1 k−1) and high mechanical strength (0.12 MPa under 75% of strain). As a solar steam generation device, a high energy conversion efficiency of 82.4% was achieved under 1 kW m−2 illumination. The findings of this investigation may open a simple and novel route towards the fabrication of a low-cost a single-component biomass-based solar receivers for solar steam generation.

Graphical abstract: Conductive hollow kapok fiber-PPy monolithic aerogels with excellent mechanical robustness for efficient solar steam generation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 12 2018
Accepted
14 3 2019
First published
15 3 2019

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 9673-9679

Conductive hollow kapok fiber-PPy monolithic aerogels with excellent mechanical robustness for efficient solar steam generation

P. Mu, W. Bai, Y. Fan, Z. Zhang, H. Sun, Z. Zhu, W. Liang and A. Li, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 9673 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA12243A

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