Wang Zhifen, Niu Jin, Wang Juanxia, Zhang Yucang, Wu Guoqiang, Liu Xiaoyun, Liu Qun
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
College of Ocean Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen, China.
Front Chem. 2022 May 11;10:912489. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2022.912489. eCollection 2022.
With the environmental deterioration and the rise in demand for sustainability, the lack of freshwater resources has emerged as a global concern. To address this issue, the desalination of water using solar evaporation is centered on as a promising approach. In this study, we designed a light and photothermal liquefied-chitin-based polyurethane foam to achieve efficient water evaporation benefiting from their powerful solar spectral absorption, low thermal conductivity, quick transportation of water, hierarchically porous structures, and anti-biofouling natures. Moreover, because of the introduction of nano-silver, the newly developed foam exhibits considerable antibacterial ability and improved photothermal performance. Notably, the low thermal conductivity of the foam can reduce the loss of absorbed solar heat, whereas its large porous structure provides a smooth water transport channel. More importantly, with the assistance of heat, polyacrylamide hydrogels adhering along with the pores rapidly absorb and desorb water molecules, promoting the evaporation of water and improving solar energy conversion efficiency. Ultimately, under irradiation by one sunlight, the proposed material demonstrated a water evaporation rate and solar photothermal conversion efficiency of 2.44 kg m h and 153.2%, respectively.
随着环境恶化和对可持续性需求的增加，淡水资源短缺已成为全球关注的问题。为解决这一问题，利用太阳能蒸发进行水的脱盐被视为一种很有前景的方法。在本研究中，我们设计了一种轻质且基于光热液化甲壳素的聚氨酯泡沫，凭借其强大的太阳光谱吸收能力、低导热性、水的快速传输、分级多孔结构和抗生物污损特性，实现高效的水蒸发。此外，由于引入了纳米银，新开发的泡沫表现出相当的抗菌能力和改善的光热性能。值得注意的是，泡沫的低导热性可减少吸收的太阳能热量损失，而其大孔结构提供了顺畅的水传输通道。更重要的是，在热量的辅助下，沿孔隙附着的聚丙烯酰胺水凝胶能快速吸收和解吸水分子，促进水的蒸发并提高太阳能转换效率。最终，在一个太阳光照射下，所提出的材料分别展现出2.44 kg m⁻² h⁻¹的水蒸发速率和153.2%的太阳能光热转换效率。
