Wang Zhongguo, Zhang Xiong-Fei, Shu Lian, Yao Jianfeng
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China..
Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Nov 1;319:121161. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121161. Epub 2023 Jun 28.
Hydrogels are emerging materials for solar steam generation to alleviate water scarcity. Herein, a semiconductor of copper sulfide (CuS) was integrated into cellulose hydrogel to fabricate a solar steam evaporator. Sustainable and low-cost cotton linter (cellulose) was regenerated by NaOH/urea solvent. Epichlorohydrin was added as a cross-linking agent to enhance the mechanical robustness of the composite hydrogel, and CuS crystals were tightly attached to cellulose fibers and uniformly distributed in the hydrogel matrix. Under simulated solar light, a heating zone was established at the top surface of the composite hydrogel, and CuS can efficiently absorb and convert light into heat. The hydrophilic cellulose network affords an adequate water supply and a low water vaporization enthalpy. By tuning the CuS loadings, the optimized evaporation rate and solar-to-vapor efficiency could reach 2.2 kg/m/h and 87 %, respectively, under 1 sun irradiation. The evaporation rate remained above 2.1 kg/m/h after 48 h of irradiation. Moreover, the hydrogels (with a CuS loading of 30 wt%) showed a efficiently photocatalytic degradation of 95 % for methylene blue and 92 % for Rhodamine B. Such functional hydrogel evaporator holds great potential for practical water treatment and solar-driven applications.
水凝胶作为一种新兴材料，正用于太阳能蒸汽发生以缓解水资源短缺问题。在此，将硫化铜（CuS）半导体集成到纤维素水凝胶中，制备出一种太阳能蒸汽蒸发器。通过NaOH/尿素溶剂对可持续且低成本的棉短绒（纤维素）进行再生。添加环氧氯丙烷作为交联剂，以增强复合水凝胶的机械强度，并且CuS晶体紧密附着在纤维素纤维上，并均匀分布在水凝胶基质中。在模拟太阳光下，复合水凝胶的顶面形成一个加热区，CuS能够有效地吸收光并将其转化为热。亲水性纤维素网络提供充足的供水以及较低的水汽化焓。通过调整CuS负载量，在1个太阳辐射强度下，优化后的蒸发速率和太阳能-蒸汽效率分别可达2.2 kg/m²/h和87%。照射48小时后，蒸发速率仍保持在2.1 kg/m²/h以上。此外，水凝胶（CuS负载量为30 wt%）对亚甲基蓝和罗丹明B的光催化降解效率分别高达95%和92%。这种功能性水凝胶蒸发器在实际水处理和太阳能驱动应用方面具有巨大潜力。
