Melt Electrospun Reduced Tungsten Oxide /Polylactic Acid Fiber Membranes as a Photothermal Material for Light-Driven Interfacial Water Evaporation.

The development of efficient photothermal materials is the most important issue in solar water evaporation. In this work, melt electrospun reduced tungsten oxide/polylactic acid (WO/PLA) fiber membranes were successfully prepared with improved near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion properties owing to strong NIR photoabsorption by the metal oxide. WO powder nanoparticles were incorporated into PLA matrix by melt processing, following which the composites were extruded into wires using a single screw extruder.

Piezoelectric Response of Aligned Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Carbon Nanotube Nanofibrous Membranes.

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) shows piezoelectricity related to its β-phase content and mechanical and electrical properties influenced by its morphology and crystallinity. Electrospinning (ES) can produce ultrafine and well-aligned PVDF nanofibers. In this study, the effects of the presence of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and optimized ES parameters on the crystal structures and piezoelectric properties of aligned PVDF/CNT nanofibrous membranes were examined.

Highly Efficient Near Infrared Photothermal Conversion Properties of Reduced Tungsten Oxide/Polyurethane Nanocomposites.

In this work, novel WO/polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites were prepared by ball milling followed by stirring using a planetary mixer/de-aerator. The effects of phase transformation (WO₃ → WO → WO) and different weight fractions of tungsten oxide on the optical performance, photothermal conversion, and thermal properties of the prepared nanocomposites were examined. It was found that the nanocomposites exhibited strong photoabsorption in the entire near-infrared (NIR) region of 780-2500 nm and excellent photothermal conversion properties.