A bioinspired hydrogel with tailored nano-topography and desired mechanical performance for highly efficient solar-driven water purification

Abstract

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a sustainable and innovative technology for efficient, clean water production. Despite the tremendous progress made to date, to achieve materials with excellent mechanical performances, efficient energy utilization, and high salt-resistance, high cost and delicate nanostructures pose challenges. Here, a composite hydrogel with rationally architected skeletons is constructed through facilely combining salting-out treatment and an in situ polymerization strategy. Benefiting from the unique pore structure, coral-like wrinkle surface micro-/nano-topologies, and well-interpenetrative channels, the constructed hydrogel exhibits an outstanding mechanical tensile strength of ∼1.41 MPa, an ultrahigh evaporation rate of 2.62 kg m−2 h−1 and a solar-to-vapor efficiency of 93.78% under 1 sun irradiation. This work demonstrates a new hydrogel evaporator structure and also provides a perspective for the structural design of next-generation good mechanical performance, durable, salt-tolerant and high-efficiency interfacial steam generators.

Graphical abstract: A bioinspired hydrogel with tailored nano-topography and desired mechanical performance for highly efficient solar-driven water purification

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Apr 2024
Accepted
01 May 2024
First published
13 May 2024

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, Advance Article

A bioinspired hydrogel with tailored nano-topography and desired mechanical performance for highly efficient solar-driven water purification

W. Ma, W. Cao, M. Cui, Q. Fan, R. Xiong and C. Huang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D4TA02883J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements