Islam Saiful, Furuta Hiroshi
School of Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi 782-8502, Japan.
Center for Nanotechnology, Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi 782-8502, Japan.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Nov 2;12(21):3871. doi: 10.3390/nano12213871.
Population growth and the current global weather patterns have heightened the need to optimize solar energy harvesting. Solar-powered water filtration, electricity generation, and water heating have gradually multiplied as viable sources of fresh water and power generation, especially for isolated places without access to water and energy. The unique thermal and optical characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) enable their use as efficient solar absorbers with enhanced overall photothermal conversion efficiency under varying solar light intensities. Due to their exceptional optical absorption efficiency, low cost, environmental friendliness, and natural carbon availability, CNTs have attracted intense scientific interest in the production of solar thermal systems. In this review study, we evaluated CNT-based water purification, thermoelectric generation, and water heating systems under varying solar levels of illumination, ranging from domestic applications to industrial usage. The use of CNT composites or multilayered structures is also reviewed in relation to solar heat absorber applications. An aerogel containing CNTs was able to ameliorate water filtering performance at low solar intensities. CNTs with a Fresnel lens improved thermoelectric output power at high solar intensity. Solar water heating devices utilizing a nanofluid composed of CNTs proved to be the most effective. In this review, we also aimed to identify the most relevant challenges and promising opportunities in relation to CNT-based solar thermal devices.
人口增长和当前的全球气候模式增加了优化太阳能收集的必要性。太阳能驱动的水过滤、发电和水加热作为淡水和发电的可行来源已逐渐增多，特别是对于那些无法获得水和能源的偏远地区。碳纳米管（CNT）独特的热学和光学特性使其能够用作高效的太阳能吸收器，在不同的太阳光强度下具有更高的整体光热转换效率。由于其卓越的光吸收效率、低成本、环境友好性以及天然的碳可获取性，碳纳米管在太阳能热系统的生产中引起了科学界的浓厚兴趣。在这项综述研究中，我们评估了基于碳纳米管的水净化、热电发电和水加热系统在不同太阳光照水平下的性能，涵盖从家庭应用到工业用途。还综述了碳纳米管复合材料或多层结构在太阳能热吸收器应用方面的情况。含有碳纳米管的气凝胶在低太阳强度下能够改善水过滤性能。带有菲涅耳透镜的碳纳米管在高太阳强度下提高了热电输出功率。事实证明，利用由碳纳米管组成的纳米流体的太阳能水加热装置最为有效。在本综述中，我们还旨在确定与基于碳纳米管的太阳能热装置相关的最关键挑战和最有前景的机遇。
