Issue

Vol. 16 (2024)

MXene Sediment-Based Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Sodium Alginate Aerogel Evaporator with Vertically Aligned Channels for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01433-1
Tian Wang
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Meng Li
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Hongxing Xu
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Xiao Wang
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Mingshu Jia
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Xianguang Hou
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Shuai Gao
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Qingman Liu
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Qihang Yang
College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, People’s Republic of China
Mingwei Tian
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Lijun Qu
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Zhenhua Song
Department of Pharmacology, Qingdao University School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Xiaohu Wu
Shandong Institute of Advanced Technology, Jinan 250100, People’s Republic of China
Lili Wang
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China
Xiansheng Zhang
Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Textile Materials, College of Textiles and Clothing, State Key Laboratory of Bio‑Fibers and Eco‑Textiles, Research Center for Intelligent and Wearable Technology, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Xiansheng Zhang

xshzhang@qdu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 16 (2024), Article Number: 220

Abstract

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation from seawater is considered an effective way to alleviate the emerging freshwater crisis because of its green and environmentally friendly characteristics. However, developing an evaporator with high efficiency, stability, and salt resistance remains a key challenge. MXene, with an internal photothermal conversion efficiency of 100%, has received tremendous research interest as a photothermal material. However, the process to prepare the MXene with monolayer is inefficient and generates a large amount of “waste” MXene sediments (MS). Here, MXene sediments is selected as the photothermal material, and a three-dimensional MXene sediments/poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate aerogel evaporator with vertically aligned pores by directional freezing method is innovatively designed. The vertical porous structure enables the evaporator to improve water transport, light capture, and high evaporation rate. Cotton swabs and polypropylene are used as the water channel and support, respectively, thus fabricating a self-floating evaporator. The evaporator exhibits an evaporation rate of 3.6 kg m−2 h−1 under one-sun illumination, and 18.37 kg m−2 of freshwater is collected in the condensation collection device after 7 h of outdoor sun irradiation. The evaporator also displays excellent oil and salt resistance. This research fully utilizes “waste” MS, enabling a self-floating evaporation device for freshwater collection.


Highlights:
1 MXene sediments is innovatively used as photothermal material for seawater desalination.
2 Inspired by the natural wood transpiration process, a 3D MXene sediment-based aerogel with vertically aligned channels is innovatively prepared as solar evaporator.
3 With unique structure and composition, excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, evaporation rate, salt resistance, and resistance to biological/oil/special environments are achieved in practical desalination.

Keywords

MXene sediments Porous structure Desalination Self-floating
Wang, Tian, Meng Li, Hongxing Xu, Xiao Wang, Mingshu Jia, Xianguang Hou, Shuai Gao, Qingman Liu, Qihang Yang, Mingwei Tian, Lijun Qu, Zhenhua Song, Xiaohu Wu, Lili Wang, and Xiansheng Zhang. 2024. “MXene Sediment-Based Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Sodium Alginate Aerogel Evaporator With Vertically Aligned Channels for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation”. Nano-Micro Letters 16 (June):220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-024-01433-1.
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. A. Ruhi, M.L. Messager, J.D. Olden, Tracking the pulse of the earth’s fresh waters. Nat. Sustain. 1(4), 198–203 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0047-7
  2. J. Liu, H. Yang, S.N. Gosling, M. Kummu, M. Florke et al., Water scarcity assessments in the past, present and future. Earths Future 5(6), 545–559 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/2016EF000518
  3. F.E. Ahmed, A. Khalil, N. Hilal, Emerging desalination technologies: current status, challenges and future trends. Desalination 517, 115183 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2021.115183
  4. J. Wang, S.Y. Lai, Y. He, Research on reverse osmosis membrane materials for seawater desalination. Adv. Mater. Res. 600, 100–103 (2012). https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.600.100
  5. X. Li, J. Li, J. Lu, N. Xu, C. Chen et al., Enhancement of interfacial solar vapor generation by environmental energy. Joule 2(7), 1331–1338 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.04.004
  6. Y. Shi, R. Li, Y. Jin, S. Zhuo, L. Shi et al., A 3D photothermal structure toward improved energy efficiency in solar steam generation. Joule 2(6), 1171–1186 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.03.013
  7. L. Zhu, M. Gao, C.K.N. Peh, X. Wang, G.W. Ho, Self-contained monolithic carbon sponges for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation distillation and electricity generation. Adv. Energy Mater. 8(16), 1171–1186 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201702149
  8. L. Zhou, X. Li, G.W. Ni, S. Zhu, J. Zhu, The revival of thermal utilization from the sun: interfacial solar vapor generation. Natl. Sci. Rev. 6(3), 562–578 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwz030
  9. L. Wu, Z. Dong, Z. Cai, T. Ganapathy, N.X. Fang et al., Highly efficient three-dimensional solar evaporator for high salinity desalination by localized crystallization. Nat. Commun. 11(1), 521 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14366-1
  10. Z. Lei, S. Zhu, X. Sun, S. Yu, X. Liu et al., A multiscale porous 3D-fabric evaporator with vertically aligned yarns enables ultra-efficient and continuous water desalination. Adv. Funct. Mater. 32(40), 2205790 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202205790
  11. M. Khatri, L. Francis, N. Hilal, Modified electrospun membranes using different nanomaterials for membrane distillation. Membranes (Basel) 13(3), 338 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030338
  12. D. Hao, Y. Yang, B. Xu, Z. Cai, Efficient solar water vapor generation enabled by water-absorbing polypyrrole coated cotton fabric with enhanced heat localization. Appl. Therm. Eng. 141, 406–412 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.05.117
  13. C. Wang, S.L. Zhou, C. Wu, Z.H. Yang, X.H. Zhang, Janus carbon nanotube sponges for highly efficient solar-driven vapor generation. Chem. Eng. J. 454, 140501 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.140501
  14. Y. Guo, H. Lu, F. Zhao, X. Zhou, W. Shi et al., Biomass-derived hybrid hydrogel evaporators for cost-effective solar water purification. Adv. Mater. 32(11), e1907061, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201907061
  15. W.J. Ma, T. Lu, W.X. Cao, R.H. Xiong, C.B. Huang, Bioinspired nanofibrous aerogel with vertically aligned channels for efficient water purification and salt-rejecting solar desalination. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33(23), 2214157 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202214157
  16. F. Wu, S. Qiang, X.-D. Zhu, W. Jiao, L. Liu et al., Fibrous MXene aerogels with tunable pore structures for high-efficiency desalination of contaminated seawater. Nano-Micro Lett. 15(1), 71 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01030-8
  17. A. Lamy-Mendes, R.F. Silva, L. Durães, Advances in carbon nanostructure–silica aerogel composites: a review. J. Mater. Chem. A 6(4), 1340–1369 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ta08959g
  18. M. Rastgar, L. Jiang, C. Wang, M. Sadrzadeh, Aerogels in passive solar thermal desalination: a review. J. Mater. Chem. A 10(35), 17857–17877 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ta05216d
  19. X. Li, W. Xu, M. Tang, L. Zhou, B. Zhu et al., Graphene oxide-based efficient and scalable solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 113(49), 13953–13958 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613031113
  20. Y. Li, T. Gao, Z. Yang, C. Chen, Y. Kuang et al., Graphene oxide-based evaporator with one-dimensional water transport enabling high-efficiency solar desalination. Nano Energy 41, 201–209 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.09.034
  21. M. Morciano, M. Fasano, U. Salomov, L. Ventola, E. Chiavazzo et al., Efficient steam generation by inexpensive narrow gap evaporation device for solar applications. Sci. Rep. 7(1), 11970 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-12152-6
  22. K. Bae, G. Kang, S.K. Cho, W. Park, K. Kim et al., Flexible thin-film black gold membranes with ultrabroadband plasmonic nanofocusing for efficient solar vapour generation. Nat. Commun. 6, 10103 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10103
  23. X. Wang, G. Ou, N. Wang, H. Wu, Graphene-based recyclable photo-absorbers for high-efficiency seawater desalination. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 8(14), 9194–9199 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02071
  24. Q. Jiang, H. Gholami Derami, D. Ghim, S. Cao, Y.-S. Jun et al., Polydopamine-filled bacterial nanocellulose as a biodegradable interfacial photothermal evaporator for highly efficient solar steam generation. J. Mater. Chem. A 5(35), 18397–18402 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ta04834c
  25. J.R. Vélez-Cordero, J. Hernández-Cordero, Heat generation and conduction in pdms-carbon nanop membranes irradiated with optical fibers. Int. J. Therm. Sci. 96, 12–22 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2015.04.009
  26. I. Ihsanullah, Potential of MXenes in water desalination: current status and perspectives. Nano-Micro Lett. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-020-0411-9
  27. J.H. Kim, G.S. Park, Y.J. Kim, E. Choi, J. Kang et al., Large-area Ti3C2Tx-MXene coating: toward industrial-scale fabrication and molecular separation. ACS Nano 15(5), 8860–8869 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c01448
  28. D.-D. Shao, Q. Zhang, L. Wang, Z.-Y. Wang, Y.-X. Jing et al., Enhancing interfacial adhesion of MXene nanofiltration membranes via pillaring carbon nanotubes for pressure and solvent stable molecular sieving. J. Membr. Sci. 623, 119033 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2020.119033
  29. M.C. Krecker, D. Bukharina, C.B. Hatter, Y. Gogotsi, V.V. Tsukruk, Bioencapsulated MXene flakes for enhanced stability and composite precursors. Adv. Funct. Mater. 30(43), 2004554 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202004554
  30. Z. Li, C. Wang, Novel advances in metal-based solar absorber for photothermal vapor generation. Chin. Chem. Lett. 31(9), 2159–2166 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cclet.2019.09.030
  31. G. He, F. Ning, X. Liu, Y. Meng, Z. Lei et al., High-performance and long-term stability of MXene/PEDOT:PSS-decorated cotton yarn for wearable electronics applications. Adv. Fiber Mater. 6, 367–386 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00348-7
  32. M. Hu, H. Zhang, T. Hu, B. Fan, X. Wang et al., Emerging 2D MXenes for supercapacitors: status, challenges and prospects. Chem. Soc. Rev. 49(18), 6666–6693 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cs00175a
  33. Z. Lin, J. Liu, W. Peng, Y. Zhu, Y. Zhao et al., Highly stable 3D Ti3C2Tx MXene-based foam architectures toward high-performance terahertz radiation shielding. ACS Nano 14(2), 2109–2117 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b08832
  34. M. Yuan, L. Wang, X. Liu, X. Du, G. Zhang et al., 3D printing quasi-solid-state micro-supercapacitors with ultrahigh areal energy density based on high concentration MXene sediment. Chem. Eng. J. 451, 138686 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.138686
  35. J. Ma, K. Yang, Y. Jiang, L. Shen, H. Ma et al., Integrating MXene waste materials into value-added products for smart wearable self-powered healthcare monitoring. Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 3(6), 100908 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100908
  36. Y. Yao, J. Sun, X. Zeng, R. Sun, J.B. Xu et al., Construction of 3d skeleton for polymer composites achieving a high thermal conductivity. Small 14(13), e1704044 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201704044
  37. J. Chang, B. Pang, H. Zhang, K. Pang, M. Zhang et al., MXene/cellulose composite cloth for integrated functions (if-cloth) in personal heating and steam generation. Adv. Fiber Mater. 6(1), 252–263 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00345-w
  38. J. Halim, K.M. Cook, M. Naguib, P. Eklund, Y. Gogotsi et al., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of select multi-layered transition metal carbides (MXenes). Appl. Surf. Sci. 362, 406–417 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.11.089
  39. Z. Lei, X. Sun, S. Zhu, K. Dong, X. Liu et al., Nature inspired MXene -decorated 3D honeycomb-fabric architectures toward efficient water desalination and salt harvesting. Nano-Micro Lett. 14(1), 10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00748-7
  40. X.Y. Zhou, F. Zhao, Y.H. Guo, B. Rosenberger, G.H. Yu, Architecting highly hydratable polymer networks to tune the water state for solar water purification. Sci. Adv. 5(6), 5484 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw5484
  41. M. Sun, H. Yang, X. Wang, X. Gao, C. Wang et al., Wood-inspired anisotropic PU/chitosan/ MXene aerogel used as an enhanced solar evaporator with superior salt-resistance. Desalination 555, 116462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116462
  42. M.N.A.S. Ivan, S. Saha, A.M. Saleque, S. Ahmed, A.K. Thakur et al., Progress in interfacial solar steam generation using low-dimensional and biomass-derived materials. Nano Energy 120, 109176 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.109176
  43. F. Wu, P. Hu, F. Hu, Z. Tian, J. Tang et al., Multifunctional MXene/C aerogels for enhanced microwave absorption and thermal insulation. Nano-Micro Lett. 15(1), 194 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01158-7
  44. W. Gu, J. Sheng, Q. Huang, G. Wang, J. Chen et al., Environmentally friendly and multifunctional shaddock peel-based carbon aerogel for thermal-insulation and microwave absorption. Nano-Micro Lett. 13(1), 102 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-021-00635-1
  45. W. Bao, X. Tang, X. Guo, S. Choi, C. Wang et al., Porous cryo-dried MXene for efficient capacitive deionization. Joule 2(4), 778–787 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.02.018
  46. M.N.A.S. Ivan, A.M. Saleque, S. Ahmed, P.K. Cheng, J. Qiao et al., Waste egg tray and toner-derived highly efficient 3D solar evaporator for freshwater generation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14(6), 7936–7948 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c22215
  47. C. Ge, D. Xu, H. Du, Z. Chen, J. Chen et al., Recent advances in fibrous materials for interfacial solar steam generation. Adv. Fiber Mater. 5(3), 791–818 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-022-00228-6
  48. M. Zhang, M.N.A.S. Ivan, Y. Sun, Z. Li, S. Saha et al., A platinum-based photothermal polymer with intermolecular/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer for efficient and sustainable solar-powered desalination. J. Mater. Chem. A 12, 9055–9065 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ta07980e
  49. M.N.A.S. Ivan, A.M. Saleque, S. Ahmed, Z.L. Guo, D. Zu et al., Jute stick derived self-regenerating sustainable solar evaporators with different salt mitigation mechanisms for highly efficient solar desalination. J. Mater. Chem. A 11(8), 3961–3974 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ta08237c
  50. X. Han, S. Ding, L. Fan, Y. Zhou, S. Wang, Janus biocomposite aerogels constituted of cellulose nanofibrils and MXenes for application as single-module solar-driven interfacial evaporators. J. Mater. Chem. A 9(34), 18614–18622 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta04991g
  51. B. Liu, L. Yu, F. Yu, J. Ma, In-situ formation of uniform V2O5 nanocuboid from V2C MXene as electrodes for capacitive deionization with higher structural stability and ion diffusion ability. Desalination 500, 114897 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2020.114897
  52. R. Malik, Maxing out water desalination with MXenes. Joule 2(4), 591–593 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.04.001
  53. X. Ming, A. Guo, Q. Zhang, Z. Guo, F. Yu et al., 3D macroscopic graphene oxide/MXene architectures for multifunctional water purification. Carbon 167, 285–295 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2020.06.023
  54. Y. Wang, Y. Wan, X. Meng, L. Jiang, H. Wei et al., Bio-inspired MXene coated wood-like ordered chitosan aerogels for efficient solar steam generating devices. J. Mate. Sci. 57(29), 13962–13973 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-022-07494-0
  55. Y. Yang, W. Fan, S. Yuan, J. Tian, G. Chao et al., A 3D-printed integrated MXene-based evaporator with a vertical array structure for salt-resistant solar desalination. J. Mater. Chem. A. 9(42), 23968–23976 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta07225k
  56. Z. Yu, P. Wu, Biomimetic MXene-polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogel with vertically aligned channels for highly efficient solar steam generation. Adv. Mater. Technol. 5(6), 2000065 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202000065
  57. Q. Zhang, G. Yi, Z. Fu, H. Yu, S. Chen et al., Vertically aligned janus MXene -based aerogels for solar desalination with high efficiency and salt resistance. ACS Nano 13(11), 13196–13207 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b06180
  58. X.P. Li, X.F. Li, H.G. Li, Y. Zhao, W. Li et al., 2D ferrous ion-crosslinked Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel evaporators for efficient solar steam generation. Adv. Sustain. Syst. 5(12), 2100263 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202100263
  59. H. Gao, N.C. Bing, Z.J. Bao, H.Q. Xie, W. Yu, Sandwich-structured MXene/wood aerogel with waste heat utilization for continuous desalination. Chem. Eng. J. 454, 140362 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.140362
  60. C. Xu, M. Gao, X. Yu, J. Zhang, Y. Cheng et al., Fibrous aerogels with tunable superwettability for high-performance solar-driven interfacial evaporation. Nano-Micro Lett. 15(1), 64 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-023-01034-4
Read More
Author biographies are not available.
Download this PDF file
PDF SUPPLEMENTARY FILE
Statistic
Read Counter : 1964 Download : 1451

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2