Hydrogel-based solar vapour generators (SVGs) are promising for wastewater treatment and desalination. The performance of SVG systems is governed by solar thermal conversion and water management. Progress has been made in achieving high energy conversion efficiency, but the water evaporation rates are still unsatisfactory under 1 sun irradiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is considered one of the promising technologies to alleviate the uneven-distribution of water resources and water scarcity in arid regions of the world. Hydrogel-based AWH materials are currently attracting increasing attention due to their low cost, high energy efficiency and simple preparation. However, there is a knowledge gap in the screening of hydrogel-based AWH materials in terms of structure-property relationships, which may increase the cost of trial and error in research and fabrication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric water harvesting (AWH) has been recognized as a next-generation technology to alleviate water shortages in arid areas. However, the current AWH materials suffer from insufficient water adsorption capacity and high-water retention, which hinder the practical application of AWH materials. In this study, we developed a novel dual-layered hydrogel (DLH) composed of a light-to-heat conversion layer (LHL) containing novel polydopamine-manganese nanoparticles (PDA-Mn NPs) and a water adsorption layer (WAL) made of 2-(acryloyloxyethyl) trimethylammonium chloride (AEtMA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe lack of freshwater has been threatening many people who are living in Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania, while the discovery of freshwater harvesting technology is considered a promising solution. Recent advances in structured surface materials, metal-organic frameworks, hygroscopic inorganic compounds (and derivative materials), and functional hydrogels have demonstrated their potential as platform technologies for atmospheric water (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSolar steam generator (SSG) systems have attracted increasing attention, owing to its simple manufacturing, material abundance, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly freshwater production. This system relies on photothermic materials and water absorbing substrates for a clean continuous distillation process. To optimize this process, there are factors that are needed to be considered such as selection of solar absorber and water absorbent materials, followed by micro/macro-structural system design for efficient water evaporation, floating, and filtration capability.
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