Ionization Engineering of Hydrogels Enables Highly Efficient Salt‑Impeded Solar Evaporation and Night‑Time Electricity Harvesting

Interfacial solar evaporation holds immense potential for brine desalination with low carbon footprints and high energy utilization.Hydrogels,as a tunable material platform from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale,have been considered the most promising candidate for solar evaporation.However,the simultaneous achievement of high evaporation efficiency and satisfactory tolerance to salt ions in brine remains a challenging scientific bottleneck,restricting the widespread application.Herein,we report ionization engineering,which endows polymer chains of hydrogels with electronegativity for impeding salt ions and activating water molecules,fundamentally overcoming the hydrogel salt-impeded challenge and dramatically expediting water evaporating in brine.The sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate-modified carbon black is chosen as the solar absorbers.The hydrogel reaches a ground-breaking evaporation rate of 2.9 kg m−2 h−1 in 20 wt%brine with 95.6%efficiency under one sun irradiation,surpassing most of the reported literature.More notably,such a hydrogel-based evaporator enables extracting clean water from oversaturated salt solutions and maintains durability under different high-strength deformation or a 15-day continuous operation.Meantime,on the basis of the cation selectivity induced by the electronegativity,we first propose an all-day system that evaporates during the day and generates salinity-gradient electricity using waste-evaporated brine at night,anticipating pioneer a new opportunity for all-day resource-generating systems in fields of freshwater and electricity.

Rebuilding the theory of isotope fractionation for evaporation of silicate melts under vacuum condition

Isotope eff ects are pivotal in understanding silicate melt evaporation and planetary accretion processes.Based on the Hertz-Knudsen equation,the current theory often fails to predict observed isotope fractionations of laboratory experiments due to its oversimplified assumptions.Here,we point out that the Hertz-Knudsen-equation-based theory is incomplete for silicate melt evaporation cases and can only be used for situations where the vaporized species is identical to the one in the melt.We propose a new model designed for silicate melt evaporation under vacuum.Our model considers multiple steps including mass transfer,chemical reaction,and nucleation.Our derivations reveal a kinetic isotopic fractionation factor(KIFF orα)αour model=[m(^(1)species)/m(^(2)species)]^(0.5),where m(species)is the mass of the reactant of reaction/nucleation-limiting step or species of diffusion-limiting step and superscript 1 and 2 represent light and heavy isotopes,respectively.This model can eff ectively reproduce most reported KIFFs of laboratory experiments for various elements,i.e.,Mg,Si,K,Rb,Fe,Ca,and Ti.And,the KIFF-mixing model referring that an overall rate of evaporation can be determined by two steps jointly can account for the eff ects of low P_(H2)pressure,composition,and temperature.In addition,we find that chemical reactions,diffusion,and nucleation can control the overall rate of evaporation of silicate melts by using the fitting slope in ln(−ln f)versus ln(t).Notably,our model allows for the theoretical calculations of parameters like activation energy(E_(a)),providing a novel approach to studying compositional and environmental eff ects on evaporation processes,and shedding light on the formation and evolution of the proto-solar and Earth-Moon systems.

Nitrogen-doped microporous graphite-enhanced copper plasmonic effect for solar evaporation

Water scarcity is a global challenge,and solar evaporation technology offers a promising and eco-friendly solution for freshwater production.Photothermal conversion materials(PCMs)are crucial for solar evaporation.Improving photothermal conversion efficiency and reducing water evaporation enthalpy are the two key strategies for the designing of PCMs.The desired PCMs that combine both of these properties remain a challenging task,even with the latest advancements in the field.Herein,we developed copper nanoparticles(NPs)with different conjugated nitrogen-doped microporous carbon coatings(Cu@C–N)as PCMs.The microporous carbon enveloping layer provides a highly efficient pathway for water transport and a nanoconfined environment that protects Cu NPs and facilitates the evaporation of water clusters,reducing the enthalpy of water evaporation.Meanwhile,the conjugated nitrogen nodes form strong metal-organic coordination bonds with the surface of copper NPs,acting as an energy bridge to achieve rapid energy transfer and provide high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.The Cu@C–N exhibited up to 89.4%solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency and an evaporation rate of 1.94 kgm^(−2) h^(−1) under one sun irradiation,outperforming conventional PCMs,including carbon-based materials and semiconductor materials.These findings offer an efficient design scheme for high-performance PCMs essential for solar evaporators to address global water scarcity.

Harnessing overlapped temperature-salinity gradient in solar-driven interfacial seawater evaporation for efficient steam and electricity generation

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation(SIWE)offers a superb way to leverage concentrated solar heat to minimize energy dissipation during seawater desalination.It also engenders overlapped temperaturesalinity gradient(TSG)between water-air interface and adjacent seawater,affording opportunities of harnessing electricity.However,the efficiency of conventional SIWE technologies is limited by significant challenges,including salt passivation to hinder evaporation and difficulties in exploiting overlapped TSG simultaneously.Herein,we report self-sustaining hybrid SIWE for not only sustainable seawater desalination but also efficient electricity generation from TSG.It enables spontaneous circulation of salt flux upon seawater evaporation,inducing a self-cleaning evaporative interface without salt passivation for stable steam generation.Meanwhile,this design enables spatial separation and simultaneous utilization of overlapped TSG to enhance electricity generation.These benefits render a remarkable efficiency of90.8%in solar energy utilization,manifesting in co-generation of solar steam at a fast rate of 2.01 kg m^(-2)-h^(-1)and electricity power of 1.91 W m^(-2)with high voltage.Directly interfacing the hybrid SIWE with seawater electrolyzer constructs a system for water-electricity-hydrogen co-generation without external electricity supply.It produces hydrogen at a rapid rate of 1.29 L h^(-1)m^(-2)and freshwater with 22 times lower Na+concentration than the World Health Organization(WHO)threshold.

Evaluation of Water Losses by Evaporation in the Nakanbe Basin

A numerical approach to heat and mass transfer in a large water reservoir is presented. This water reservoir is likened to a parallelepiped reservoir whose vertical and lower walls are adiabatic and impermeable. The equations that govern natural convection in water are solved by the finite volume method and Thomas’salgorithm. The adequacy between the velocity and pressure fields is ensured by the SIMPLE algorithm. We are going to evaluate the water losses by evaporation from three dams in the Nakanbé basin in Burkina Faso for a period of thirty years, that is to say from January 1, 1991, to March 15, 2020. The three dams have a rate of evaporation greater than 40% of the volume of water stored. Indeed the rate of evaporation in each dam increases with the water filling rate in the reservoir: we have observed the following results for each dam in the Nakanbé basin;for the date of 02/27/1988 to 03/13/2020., the Loumbila dam received a total volume of stored water of 22.02 Mm3 and 10.57 Mm3 as the total volume of water evaporated at the same date. At the Ouaga dam (2 + 3), it stored a water volume of 4.06 Mm3 and evaporated 2.03 Mm3 of its storage volume from 01/01/1988 to 05/07/2016. Finally, with regard to the Bagré dam, it stored 745.16 Mm3 of water and 365.13 Mm3 as the volume of water evaporated from 01/01/1993 to 03/31/2020.

Recentadvancesincarbon‐basedmaterials for solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation:Assemblies,structures,applications,and prospective

The shortage of fresh water in the world has brought upon a serious crisis to human health and economic development.Solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation including evaporating seawater,lake water,or river water has been recognized as an environmentally friendly process for obtaining clean water in a low‐cost way.However,water transport is restricted by itself by solar energy absorption capacity's limits,especially for finite evaporation rates and insufficient working life.Therefore,it is important to seek photothermal conversion materials that can efficiently absorb solar energy and reasonably design solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation devices.This paper reviews the research progress of carbon‐based photothermal conversion materials and the mechanism for solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation,as well as the summary of the design and development of the devices.Based on the research progress and achievements of photothermal conversion materials and devices in the fields of seawater desalination and photothermal electric energy generation in recent years,the challenges and opportunities faced by carbon‐based photothermal conversion materials and devices are discussed.The prospect of the practical application of solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion evaporation technology is foreseen,and theoretical guidance is provided for the further development of this technology.

A Model for Droplet Evaporation

Based on the kinetic theory of gases, a simple model for droplet vaporization, in particular mercury, is developed to study the variation of droplet radius as a function of time. This model is in agreement with more sophisticated models for water, such as the kinetic model and the Kulmala model. Findings indicate that complete evaporation of a 1-mm-radius mercury droplet, in a ventilated room at normal temperatures, should take about 1.8 × 104 seconds or 5 hours. The findings of this study can be utilized to direct further research in the field of toxin remediation.

Janus membrane with enhanced interfacial activation for solar evaporation

Low solar spectrum coverage,high evaporation enthalpy,and undesired salt deposition severely limited the solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology for further sewage purification and seawater desalination.To overcome these problems,we designed an amphiphilic Janus-structured polyaniline(PANI)/ZrC/cellulose acetate(CA)(J-PZCA) membrane.Firstly,the interfacial interaction between PANI and ZrC enhances the photoabsorption and photothermal conversion efficiency.Secondly,low thermal conductivity reduces the heat lost at the interface.Most importantly,ZrC could facilitate interfacial activation,which weakens the intermolecular forces of water by affecting the hydrogen bond.Under 1 solar irradiation(1 sun),the composite membrane exhibits a high evaporation rate of 1.31 kg m^(-2)h^(-1) and an excellent efficiency of 79.4%.In addition,the sewage purification and seawater desalination experiments reveal a remarkable purification capability of J-PZCA membrane.Especially for the treatment of high-concentration salt solution,it realizes a long-term stable evaporation performance due to the excellent salt deposition resistance.Therefore,the J-PZCA membrane constructed in this study provides a new perspective for the design of efficient interfacial evaporation devices.

Facile synthesis of chromium chloride/poly(methyl methacrylate) core/shell nanocapsules by inverse miniemulsion evaporation method and application as delayed crosslinker in secondary oil recovery

Cr(III)ehydrolyzed polyacrylamide(HPAM)gels have been extensively studied as a promising strategy controlling waste water production for mature oilfields.However,the gelation time of the current technologies is not long enough for in-depth placement.In this study,we report a novel synthesis method to obtain chromium chloride/poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)nanocapsules which can significantly delay the gelation of HPAM through encapsulating the chromium chloride crosslinker.The chromium chloride-loaded nanocapsules(CreNC)are prepared via a facile inverse miniemulsion evaporation method during which the hydrophobic PMMA polymers,pre-dispersed in an organic solvent,were carefully controlled to precipitate onto stable aqueous miniemulsion droplets.The stable aqueous nanodroplets(W)containing Cr(III)are dispersed in a mixture of organic solvent(O1)with PMMA and nonsolvent medium(O2)to prepare an inverse miniemulsion.With the evaporation of the O1,PMMA forms CreNCs around the aqueous droplets.The CreNCs are readily transferred into water from the organic nonsolvent phase.The CreNCs exhibit the tunable size(358-983 nm),Cr loading(7.1%-19.1%),and Cr entrapment efficiency(11.7%-80.2%),with tunable zeta potentials in different PVA solutions.The CreNCs can delay release of Cr(III)and prolong the gelation time of HPAM up to 27 days.

Boosting extraction of Pb in contaminated soil via interfacial solar evaporation of multifunctional sponge

Interfacial solar water evaporation is a reliable way to accelerate water evaporation and contaminant remediation.Embracing the recent advance in photothermal technology,a functional sponge was prepared by coating a sodium alginate(SA)impregnated sponge with a surface layer of reduced graphene oxide(rGO)to act as a photothermal conversion medium and then subsequently evaluated for its ability to enhance Pb extraction from contaminated soil driven by interfacial solar evaporation.The SA loaded sponge had a Pb adsorption capacity of 107.4 mg g^(-1).Coating the top surface of the SA sponge with rGO increased water evaporation performance to 1.81 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)in soil media under one sun illumination and with a wind velocity of 2 m s^(-1).Over 12 continuous days of indoor evaporation testing,the Pb extraction efficiency was increased by 22.0%under 1 sun illumination relative to that observed without illumination.Subsequently,Pb extraction was further improved by 48.9%under outdoor evaporation conditions compared to indoor conditions.Overall,this initial work shows the significant potential of interfacial solar evaporation technologies for Pb contaminated soil remediation,which should also be applicable to a variety of other environmental contaminants.

Micro–Nano Water Film Enabled High‑Performance Interfacial Solar Evaporation

Interfacial solar evaporation holds great promise to address the freshwater shortage.However,most interfacial solar evaporators are always filled with water throughout the evaporation process,thus bringing unavoidable heat loss.Herein,we propose a novel interfacial evaporation structure based on the micro–nano water film,which demonstrates significantly improved evaporation performance,as experimentally verified by polypyrrole-and polydopamine-coated polydimethylsiloxane sponge.The 2D evaporator based on the as-prepared sponge realizes an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.18 kg m^(−2)h^(−1)under 1 sun by fine-tuning the interfacial micro–nano water film.Then,a homemade device with an enhanced condensation function is engineered for outdoor clean water production.Throughout a continuous test for 40 days,this device demonstrates a high water production rate(WPR)of 15.9–19.4 kg kW^(−1)h^(−1)m^(−2).Based on the outdoor outcomes,we further establish a multi-objective model to assess the global WPR.It is predicted that a 1 m^(2)device can produce at most 7.8 kg of clean water per day,which could meet the daily drinking water needs of 3 people.Finally,this technology could greatly alleviate the current water and energy crisis through further large-scale applications.

Controllable growth of wafer-scale PdS and PdS_(2) nanofilms via chemical vapor deposition combined with an electron beam evaporation technique

Palladium(Pd)-based sulfides have triggered extensive interest due to their unique properties and potential applications in the fields of electronics and optoelectronics.However,the synthesis of large-scale uniform PdS and PdS_(2)nanofilms(NFs)remains an enormous challenge.In this work,2-inch wafer-scale PdS and PdS_(2) NFs with excellent stability can be controllably prepared via chemical vapor deposition combined with electron beam evaporation technique.The thickness of the pre-deposited Pd film and the sulfurization temperature are critical for the precise synthesis of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs.A corresponding growth mechanism has been proposed based on our experimental results and Gibbs free energy calculations.The electrical transport properties of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs were explored by conductive atomic force microscopy.Our findings have achieved the controllable growth of PdS and PdS_(2) NFs,which may provide a pathway to facilitate PdS and PdS_(2) based applications for next-generation high performance optoelectronic devices.

Experimental study on the desulfurization and evaporation characteristics of Ca(OH)_(2) droplets

The experiments were conducted to focus on the desulfurization and evaporation characteristics of lime slurry droplets at 298-383 K. We designed an evaporation-reaction chamber with quartz glass windows.The monodisperse slurry droplet stream was injected into the evaporation reaction chamber, and the inlet gas components(air, air + SO_(2)) were introduced into the chamber. We applied the magnified digital in-line holography to measure the droplet parameters and calculated the evaporation rate. The effects of temperature, droplet concentration, and SO_(2) concentration on the evaporation rate of Ca(OH)_(2) droplets were discussed. Moreover, the Ca(OH)_(2) droplets under different experimental conditions were sampled,and the droplets were observed and analyzed using an off-line microscope. The evaporation rate of the Ca(OH)_(2) droplet increased at first, and then decreased during the falling process, and remained constant at last. The average evaporation rate of the Ca(OH)_(2) droplets increased significantly with the temperature increasing.

Effects of Groundwater with Various Salinities on Evaporation and Redistribution of Water and Salt in Saline-sodic Soils in Songnen Plain,Northeast China

Groundwater mineralization is one of the main factors affecting the transport of soil water and salt in saline-sodic areas.To investigate the effects of groundwater with different levels of salinity on evaporation and distributions of soil water and salt in Songnen Plain,Northeast China,five levels of groundwater sodium adsorption ration of water(SARw)and total salt content(TSC mmol/L)were conducted in an oil column lysimeters.The five treated groundwater labeled as ST0:0,ST0:10,ST5:40,ST10:70 and ST20:100,were prepared with NaCl and CaCl2 in proportion,respectively.The results showed the groundwater evaporation(GWE)and soil evaporation(SE)increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of groundwater salinity.The values of GWE and SE in ST10:70 treatment were the highest,which were 2.09 and 1.84 times the values in the ST0:0 treatment with the lowest GWE and SE.There was a positive linear correlation between GWE and the Ca^(2+)content in groundwater,with R^(2)=0.998.The soil water content(SWC)of ST0:0 treatment was significantly(P<0.05)less than those of other treatments during the test.The SWC of the ST0:0 and ST0:10 treatments increased with the increase of soil depth,while the other treatments showed the opposite trend.Statistical analysis indicated the SWC in the 0–60 cm soil layer was positively correlated with the groundwater TSC and its ion contents during the test.Salt accumulation occurred in the topsoil and the salt accumulation in the 0–20 cm soil layer was significantly(P<0.05)greater than that in the subsoil.This study revealed the effects of the salinity level of groundwater,especially the Ca^(2+)content and TSC of groundwater,on the GWE and distributions of soil water and salt,which provided important support for the prevention and reclamation of soil salinization and sodificaton in shallow groundwater regions.

4种用于温室除湿的亲水翅片管蒸发器热湿传递性能分析

温室冬季高效除湿需求已经成为制约中国温室产业高质量发展的技术难题之一。为了提高温室用冷冻除湿系统中亲水翅片管蒸发器的热湿传递性能,该研究建立了低温高湿工况下平翅片、带涡产生器平翅片、波纹翅片、开缝翅片4种亲水翅片管蒸发器空气侧的数值传热模型,采用蒸发器的换热量Q、努塞尔特数Nu、摩擦因子f、单位翅片面积析湿量和强化传热因子JF等评价参数,对比分析了低温高湿工况下4种亲水翅片管蒸发器空气侧热湿传递性能。结果表明,与平翅片相比,带涡产生器平翅片、波纹翅片、开缝翅片空气侧的Nu、Q和f均高于平翅片,且开缝翅片的Q和f在相同条件下均最大;4种翅片的f随入口风速的增大而大幅度减小,而相对湿度对f的影响较小;单位翅片面积析湿量均随入口风速和相对湿度的增大而增大,波纹翅片的除湿能力最优;在入口风速1~4 m/s和相对湿度80%~95%条件下,波纹翅片管蒸发器的JF因子平均值最大,其热性能最优;在冬季寒冷地区低温高湿的温室中,推荐选用波纹亲水翅片管蒸发器对温室内空气进行除湿。该研究可为温室低温高湿环境下除湿系统用亲水翅片管蒸发器的设计与应用提供参考。

高效太阳能驱动海水淡化的最新研究进展

由于淡水资源时空分布的不均一性,部分国家和地区的发展严重受制于淡水资源短缺,海水淡化已成为沿海地区应对淡水紧张问题的重要途径。受自然界水循环启发,利用太阳能驱动水蒸发,直接从海水中分离出清洁水,是一种可持续的低成本海水淡化技术。针对传统太阳能蒸发较低的能量利用率和蒸发效率,研究人员基于界面蒸发基本理论,利用光热转化材料选择性地加热空气-水界面,以提高太阳能利用率。本文结合前沿的工作介绍了实现高效太阳能驱动界面水蒸发的关键因素,概述了已报道的常用光热材料,讨论了光热蒸发器结构设计对体系能量管理和物质传输的调控,分析质能传递过程对蒸发系统性能的影响。除此之外,本文对长时间海水蒸发过程中盐析出污染问题及其应对策略进行了综述,最后探讨了目前太阳能界面蒸发面临的挑战并展望了其在海水淡化应用的发展前景。

涂料干燥成膜过程及开裂机理综述

涂料干燥是重要的工业过程,但其过程受温度、湿厚、基材与涂层性质等因素的影响且薄膜开裂机理复杂,涉及多学科的交叉融合,因此有必要研究涂料干燥成膜过程、薄膜开裂机理及抑制开裂的措施。总结分析了自20世纪50年代以来关于涂料干燥成膜及开裂的相关文献。阐述了涂料在垂直、横向、混合干燥模式下的干燥成膜过程;探究了涂层的开裂机理,总结了临界无裂纹内应力、临界无裂纹膜厚的计算方法;分析了影响薄膜开裂的因素,包括干燥环境的温度、涂层湿厚、基材性质、溶液性质;探索了单条裂纹的形态特性、裂纹的分布规律;探明了裂纹的种类,从4个方面对抑制开裂的方法进行了分析。

仿生太阳能驱动界面蒸发器的进展与挑战

太阳能驱动界面蒸发(SDIE)作为一种高效、可持续的水资源获取方法,近年来受到了广泛的关注。基于仿生原理设计的太阳能驱动界面蒸发器在提高能源转换效率、降低盐结晶和抗污染等方面展现了巨大的潜力,在解决淡水资源紧缺和能源短缺等问题上发挥重要作用。该文梳理了近年来的仿生学在SDIE领域的应用,对比了仿生太阳能驱动界面蒸发器的结构、性能和仿生机理,探讨了不同类型仿生太阳能驱动界面蒸发器的优缺点,分析了仿生太阳能驱动界面蒸发器所面临的共性问题,并提出了未来的研究挑战。

乳化剂对甲醇柴油液滴蒸发微爆特性的影响

乳化燃油微爆能够促进燃油雾化和混合,影响其微爆性能的关键是乳化剂。文章采用机械搅拌加超声搅拌法制备了微乳化甲醇柴油,研究了乳化剂种类和含量对微乳化甲醇柴油稳定性和分散性的影响规律。研究结果表明:采用复合乳化剂和增加乳化剂含量均能提高微乳化甲醇柴油的分散性;增加乳化剂含量能够提高液滴微爆强度,推迟初次微爆时刻,减少液滴寿命,降低稳定阶段的液滴蒸发速率;当甲醇和乳化剂的质量比为10∶5和10∶8时,液滴微爆强度分别比甲醇和乳化剂质量比为10∶3时提高了34.3%和37.6%。

不同面积蒸发池水温特征及Penman模型改进

分析蒸发池水温特征可深入认识蒸发池能量平衡特性,研究Penman模型计算误差来源并改进,对农业计划、水源评估和水文预报具有重要意义。基于太谷均衡实验站3个不同面积蒸发池的水温、蒸发量及气象数据,分析各蒸发池的垂向水温分布和蒸发量的变化特征,基于Penman模型探究适合3个蒸发池的模型参数。结果表明:1 m^(2)和5 m^(2)蒸发池4—8月水温随水深增加而显著降低,20 m^(2)蒸发池各月水温分布均比较均匀,且水温更高;1 m^(2)和5 m^(2)蒸发池各月蒸发量相近,与净辐射变化趋势一致,20 m^(2)蒸发池蒸发峰值滞后于净辐射峰值3个月;Penman模型中加入反映除净辐射外能量的综合影响参数可提高模型计算精度,夏季尤为明显,1、5、20 m^(2)蒸发池夏季的参数值分别为3.5、3.3和2.1。