Hydrogel fiber fabric combining rapid water transport, thermal localization, and large-scale production for ultra-high salt-resistant solar desalination

Authors：Jianyong Yu, Juhua Yun, ShuoZang, Xuhui Sun, Minsu Han, Meng An*, Jianguo Li*, Shuo Chen*, Yusuke Yamauchi* and Zhanhui Yuan*

Abstract:Solar vapor generation (SVG) is one of the most promising strategies for addressing the freshwater shortage crisis. However, fewer existing solar evaporators combine excellent evaporation rates, salt resistance, and large-scale production potential, which are the keys to realizing industrialization. Herein, we prepare sodium alginate/reduced graphene oxide (SA/rGO) hydrogel fibers with complex nano-network structures and introduce a novel compact hydrogel fiber fabric (HFF-C) evaporator by integrating the advantages of hydrogel and fabric for the first time. The HFF-C evaporator exhibits a synergistic impact based on its porous structure and capillary effect between the fibers, along with efficient thermal management, resulting in both efficient water transport and thermal localization. The constructed HFF-C evaporator demonstrates an exceptional evaporation rate (4.13 kg m⁻²h⁻¹) in 20 wt% brine under one sun illumination, which is the highest reported value to our knowledge. Importantly, no salt deposition occurs on the evaporator’s surface over 8 h of operation. Furthermore, we successfully prepare an HFF-C evaporator with a large size of 13×100 cm² using a multibeam loom. This study presents a novel design concept for a solar hydrogel-based evaporator with excellent evaporation rates, ultra-high salt resistance, and large-scale production potential, thus promising significant advancements in the practical application of SVG.

Keywords:Solar vapor generationHydrogel fiber fabricSalt-resistantLarge-scale production

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2023.108847