Zhao Guanyu, Wang Xuzhen, Qiu Zihan, Zhang Runmeng, Du Qinqin, Zhao Zongbin, Qiu Jieshan
School of Chemistry, Liaoning Key Lab for Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
School of Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Key Lab for Energy Materials and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.
Nanoscale. 2025 Feb 20;17(8):4721-4731. doi: 10.1039/d4nr04936e.
Interfacial solar vapor generation (ISVG) accompanied by photocatalytic degradation holds immense potential to mitigate water scarcity and pollution. Distinct from the two detached functional components (photothermal agent and photocatalyst) in a conventional evaporator, in this study, an all-in-one photothermal/catalytic agent, nitrogen-containing honeycomb carbon nanosheets (NHC), was engineered for synergistic high-efficiency steam generation and photocatalysis functions. It was demonstrated that the superoxide radical generated on the surface of NHC conferred its catalytic activity to the photodegradation of organic pollutants under full solar spectrum irradiation. A proof-of-concept multifunctional evaporator (called NHC@PEI/MCE), consisting of NHC grafted with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and a hydrophilic mixed cellulose ester membrane (MCE), was fabricated to achieve both solar-driven desalination and organic pollutant degradation. Owing to its excellent light absorption capability (∼96%), reduced evaporation enthalpy (1358 J g) and minimized heat loss (8.8%), the bi-layered evaporator performed a rapid water evaporation rate of 1.66 kg m h under one standard sun illumination. Notably, the edge-preferential crystallization strategy enabled the bi-layered evaporator to maintain long-term stability for continuous water evaporation and salt harvesting over 80 h in a concentrated 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The design of the all-in-one photothermal/catalytic agent NHC ensured the synchronous removal of organic pollutants. The removal rates of methylene blue and phenol were 99.82% and 79.6%, respectively. Additionally, the reduction rate of total organic carbon (TOC) in the actual coking wastewater was found to be 96.6%. The exceptional purification capabilities across diverse water systems surpassed those of membrane materials lacking NHC. The exploration of the multifunctional evaporator offers a novel approach to achieving high-efficiency utilization of solar energy for the conversion of both seawater and industrial wastewater into freshwater.
界面太阳能蒸汽产生（ISVG）与光催化降解相结合，在缓解水资源短缺和污染方面具有巨大潜力。与传统蒸发器中两个分离的功能组件（光热剂和光催化剂）不同，在本研究中，一种一体化的光热/催化剂——含氮蜂窝状碳纳米片（NHC）被设计用于协同高效的蒸汽产生和光催化功能。结果表明，NHC表面产生的超氧自由基赋予了其在全太阳光谱照射下对有机污染物光降解的催化活性。制备了一种概念验证的多功能蒸发器（称为NHC@PEI/MCE），它由接枝了聚乙烯亚胺（PEI）的NHC和亲水性混合纤维素酯膜（MCE）组成，以实现太阳能驱动的海水淡化和有机污染物降解。由于其优异的光吸收能力（约96%）、降低的蒸发焓（1358 J g）和最小化的热损失（8.8%），该双层蒸发器在一个标准太阳光照下的水蒸发速率为1.66 kg m h。值得注意的是，边缘优先结晶策略使该双层蒸发器在3.5 wt%的浓NaCl溶液中能够保持超过80小时的长期稳定性，实现连续的水蒸发和盐分收集。一体化光热/催化剂NHC的设计确保了有机污染物的同步去除。亚甲基蓝和苯酚的去除率分别为99.82%和79.6%。此外，实际焦化废水中总有机碳（TOC）的降低率为96.6%。在不同水系统中卓越的净化能力超过了不含NHC的膜材料。对多功能蒸发器的探索为实现太阳能的高效利用提供了一种新方法，可将海水和工业废水转化为淡水。
