Electrospun reduced graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile membrane for high-performance solar evaporation. (October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fan, Xinfei; Lv, Bowen; Xu, Yuanlu; Huang, Huiying; Yang, Yi; Wang, Yi; Xiao, Jingkun; Song, Chengwen
• Is Part Of: Solar energy. Volume 209(2020)
• Page Start: 325
• Page End: 333
• Publication Date: 2020-10
• Subjects: Solar-driven water evaporation -- Reduced graphene oxide -- Polyacrylonitrile -- Electrospinning -- Seawater desalination; Solar energy -- Periodicals; Solar engines -- Periodicals; 621.47
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2020.09.013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-092X

Abstract

Highlights: Electrospinning rGO/PAN membrane for high-efficient photothermal desalination. Promoting water transport via constucting interconnected pores. Broadening light absorption by blending rGO in electrospun membrane. Providing an electrospinning-based avenue for large-scale photothermal desalination. Abstract: Solar-driven water evaporation is a method to make seawater sustainable by producing lower levels of greenhouse gases at present. Herein, we prepared an efficient, flexible and lightweight reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite membrane by a simple electrospinning technology for photothermal desalination. After blending with rGO, the electrospun membrane exhibited a strong light absorption property in a wide spectral pectrum and can absorb more than 80% of the light. More importantly, the prepared rGO/PAN membrane presented advantages of good heat localization and high evaporation efficiency. When placed on a thermal barrier made by polystyrene foam, it converts 89.4% of the light into heat, allowing 1.46 kg m −2 of seawater to evaporate in an hour under one sun. Meanwhile, the rGO/PAN membrane was used as a steam generator to obtain the pure water with low ion concentration (Na + : 0.61 mg L −1, Mg 2+ : 0.67 mg L −1, K + : 1.71 mg L −1, and Ca 2+ : 0.48 mg L −1 ) from high salinity simulating seawater. Based on the results, the rGO/PAN membrane provides a new avenue for large-scale photothermal application in the field of seawater desalination.