Versatile cationic dual-layer hydrogel filtration system for sustainable solar steam generator

• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtsust.2024.100753
• Publication Date: 2024-03-18T07:29:48Z
• Authors: Casey Onggowarsito; Zeyu Shao; Shudi Mao; Stella Zhang; An Feng; Xiaowei Li; Edgar H.H. Wong; Qiang Fu
• Keywords: Filtration (mathematics); Dual purpose

Our increasing water demand has been an ongoing critical challenge due to usages in areas such as industrial, agriculture, and domestic household. Conventional production faces challenges, high investment, energy consumption, brine discharge that may be unsustainable the future. Solar steam generation (SSG) recently proposed by many researchers their sustainable green method. Here we demonstrated use of simple manufacturing low-cost dual-layer hydrogel (DLH) system containing a double network positive charged poly-[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride (PAETAC) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) bottom layer for fast transport, well broad light absorbing heat generating PVA/graphene oxide (GO) top evaporation. As result, DLH was able generate 3.12 kg m−2 h−1 evaporation with 92% efficiency under 1 sun (kW m−2) exposure. Furthermore, this design allows safe passive anti-salt bacterial property PAETAC cationic chain, eliminating 99% salt bacteria via Donnan repulsion electrostatic interaction without need sunlight