Issue 15, 2023

A dual-functional device based on CB/PVDF@BFP for solar-driven water purification and water-induced electricity generation

Abstract

The efficient utilization of low-grade thermal energy to produce clean water or electricity is important because it potentially relieves our demand on limited natural water and energy resources. Here, we propose a dual-functional device to couple solar-driven water evaporation and evaporation-induced power generation for concurrent production of clean water and green electricity. Our strategy involves the fabrication of an asymmetric, dual-layered structure by spraying a carbon black/polyvinylidene fluoride mixture onto bamboo filter paper (CB/PVDF@BFP). The upper CB/PVDF layer serves as a light-to-thermal transducer for instantaneous heating, while the bottom BFP layer functions as a hydrophilic porous platform to boost water uptake and transfer. Moreover, water evaporation drives capillary flow of ions on the conductive CB/PVDF layer to create a pseudostream that can be harnessed for power generation. Notably, our dual-functional device delivers a fast water evaporation rate of 1.44 kg m−2 h−1 and a high energy utilization rate of 92% under one sun, beyond the previous carbon-based reports. Through this solar-driven water evaporation process, we achieve the efficient desalination of artificial seawater and decontamination of organic-polluted water by up to 99.8% and nearly 100%, respectively. Our device also concurrently produces high, consistent evaporation-induced electrical outputs with VOC and ISC of 0.32 V and 1.5 μA, respectively. The generated electrical outputs can be easily stored by charging a capacitor to over 1.5 V within 15 minutes and be subsequently utilized on demand to power common household electronics. By enabling the efficient coupling of multiple solar-driven processes, our work will catalyze the design of next-generation multifunctional devices to ensure electricity and potable water are easily accessible by everyone, especially remote areas without power stations and/or water treatment facilities.

Graphical abstract: A dual-functional device based on CB/PVDF@BFP for solar-driven water purification and water-induced electricity generation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Janv. 2023
Accepted
20 Febr. 2023
First published
21 Febr. 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023,11, 8110-8118

A dual-functional device based on CB/PVDF@BFP for solar-driven water purification and water-induced electricity generation

J. Huang, V. Pereira, C. Wang, H. Li, H. K. Lee and J. Han, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 8110 DOI: 10.1039/D3TA00032J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, 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 commercial 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