Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 105 E. 24th St., Stop A5300, Austin, TX 78712-1224, USA.
Lab Chip. 2017 Jul 11;17(14):2491-2499. doi: 10.1039/c7lc00455a.
In this article we report a microelectrochemical system that is able to partially desalinate water. The underlying principles are similar to previous reports in which a local electric field resists passage of ions. However, in the present case, no membrane is required and, most interestingly, much of the power for desalination originates from light rather than electricity. This could greatly increase the power efficiency for desalination. The device is based on a TiO photoanode coupled to a Pt cathode. Illumination of the photoanode drives faradaic reactions at the cathode that lead to an ion depletion zone. The resulting local electric field limits transport of charged species. In situ conductivity and fluorescence measurements demonstrate the effectiveness of the device.
本文报道了一种能够部分脱盐的微电化学系统。其基本原理类似于先前的报告，即局部电场阻碍离子的通过。然而，在目前的情况下，不需要膜，最有趣的是，大部分脱盐所需的电力来自于光而不是电。这可以大大提高脱盐的功率效率。该装置基于 TiO2 光阳极与 Pt 阴极耦合。光阳极的光照驱动阴极的法拉第反应，导致离子耗尽区。由此产生的局部电场限制了带电物质的传输。原位电导率和荧光测量证明了该装置的有效性。
