Enhanced Solar Evaporation Using a Scalable MoS2‐Based Hydrogel for Highly Efficient Solar Desalination

• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202208587
• Publication Date: 2022-07-06T03:39:20Z
• Authors: Pan Liu; Yi‐bo Hu; Xiao‐Ying Li; Lei Xu; Chen Chen; Baoling Yuan; Ming‐Lai Fu
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; 0104 chemical sciences

AbstractInterfacial photo‐vapor conversion has been suggested as a cost‐effective and sustainable technology for seawater desalination. However, the conversion performance was still limited by some drawbacks, like salt accumulation and poor mechanical stability. Herein, a scalable MoS2‐based porous hydrogel (SMoS2‐PH) with good mechanical stability and salt resistance was successfully constructed through a crosslinking foaming polymerization method. With the high porosity (92.63 %), the SMoS2‐PH performed an impressive evaporation rate of 3.297 kg m−2 h−1 and photothermal conversion efficiency of 93.4 % under 1‐sun illumination. Most importantly, the SMoS2‐PH could maintain high and stable photothermal properties for 15 days on the surface of seawater. We believe that the excellent salt resistance, the high photothermal conversion efficiency, the ease of scale preparation method and the available commercial MoS2 make the SMoS2‐PH a promising device for full‐scale seawater desalination.