High-Performance Salt-Rejecting and Cost-Effective Superhydrophilic Porous Monolithic Polymer Foam for Solar Steam Generation

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b22832
• Publication Date: 2020-03-16T09:03:13Z
• Authors: Jingxian He; Zheng Zhang; Chaohu Xiao; Fang Liu; Hanxue Sun; Zhaoqi Zhu; Weidong Liang; An Li
• Keywords: Superhydrophilicity

Direct solar desalination with excellent photothermal efficiency, lower cost, and extended generator device lifetime is beneficial to increase potable water supplies. To address fundamental challenges in direct desalination, herein, we present a new facile method for the scalable fabrication of polymer porous foam (VMP) as salt-resistant materials, which was synthesized through one-step hydrothermal using styrene 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate monomers N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide cross-linking agent. The as-resulted VMP shows mechanical properties could have compression strain 30%, resulting its superior processability practical operation. In addition, by taking advantage inherent low density, well-controlled structure (porosity 73.81%), extremely thermal conductivity (0.03204 W m-1 K-1), exhibits an evaporation property, efficiency can reach more than 88% under 1 kW m-2 irradiation. Moreover, introduction ionic liquid moiety (imidazolium tetrafluoroborate) into results interesting superhydrophilic wettability, accelerate transportation (wetting 5s) resolve crystalline salt within 1.13 h. interconnected macropores VMP, channels, replenish vaporized brine on surface prevent from adhering. performance, example, remains nearly unchanged after 6 h duration sun Based simple cost-effective manufacturing process, resistance, our may be promising candidate materials seawater other wastewater.