Zhengyi Mao , Xuliang Chen , Yingxian Chen , Junda Shen , Jianpan Huang , Yuhan Chen , Xiaoguang Duan , Yicheng Han , Kannie Wai Yan Chan , Jian LU
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Solar steam generation (SSG) is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable technologies for seawater desalination. However, salt fouling severely compromises the evaporation performance and lifetime of evaporators, limiting their practical applications. Herein, we propose a hierarchical salt-rejection (HSR) strategy to prevent salt precipitation during long-term evaporation while maintaining a rapid evaporation rate, even in high-salinity brine. The salt diffusion process is segmented into three steps—insulation, branching diffusion, and arterial transport—that significantly enhance the salt-resistance properties of the evaporator. Moreover, the HSR strategy overcomes the tradeoff between salt resistance and evaporation rate. Consequently, a high evaporation rate of 2.84 kg m−2 h−1, stable evaporation for 7 days cyclic tests in 20 wt% NaCl solution, and continuous operation for 170 h in natural seawater under 1 sun illumination were achieved. Compared with control evaporators, the HSR evaporator exhibited a >54% enhancement in total water evaporation mass during 24 h continuous evaporation in 20 wt% salt water. Furthermore, a water collection device equipped with the HSR evaporator realized a high water purification rate (1.1 kg m−2 h−1), highlighting its potential for agricultural applications.
期刊介绍:
Nano Materials Science (NMS) is an international and interdisciplinary, open access, scholarly journal. NMS publishes peer-reviewed original articles and reviews on nanoscale material science and nanometer devices, with topics encompassing preparation and processing; high-throughput characterization; material performance evaluation and application of material characteristics such as the microstructure and properties of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional nanostructured and nanofunctional materials; design, preparation, and processing techniques; and performance evaluation technology and nanometer device applications.