journal article·2020-11-18

Laser-Engineered Graphene on Wood Enables Efficient Antibacterial, Anti-Salt-Fouling, and Lipophilic-Matter-Rejection Solar Evaporation

Libei Huang, Li Ling, Jianjun Su, Yun Song, Zhaoyu Wang, Ben Zhong Tang, Paul Westerhoff, Ruquan Ye

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces· Volume 12· Issue 46
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Abstract

Advances in solar steam generation have made a promise in mitigating the water scarcity problem. However, their practical use could be curtailed by the vaporized pollutants and the longevity limited by biofouling and salt-fouling that are often overlooked. Here, a flake of wood is reported to be engineered into a miniaturized solar water treatment device by a laser engraving process and demonstrates advantages over common solar systems. The device is structured to mimic the centralized water treatment plants, which contains a superhydrophilic graphene bottom layer for lipophilic organic matter rejection and antifouling, an intrinsic wood microchannels layer for water transport and thermal management, and a hydrophobic graphene top layer for solar-driven desalination while inhibiting salt deposition. The pore size of wood differentiates the water flux and hence the evaporation performance, and the balsa wood with a larger pore size possesses a higher evaporation rate of 1.6 ± 0.02 kg m–2 h–1 compared with pine wood. The hierarchical design achieves a solar energy conversion efficiency of 110% and a lipophilic organic matter removal efficiency of >90% and significantly improves longevity even at high salinity. This work illuminates a sustainable and cost-effective pathway for water treatment and shows potential for wastewater reuse.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods · Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity · Electrohydrodynamics and Fluid Dynamics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemistry, State Key Lab of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong, China

Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction and Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China

HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, No. 9 Yuexing 1st Road, South Area, Hi-tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China

Center for Aggregation-Induced Emission, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Institute, South China University of Technology, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou 510640, China

School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT), Arizona State University, P.O. Box 3005, Tempe, Arizona 85287-3005, United States

City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 999077, China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong

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