Issue 47, 2018

Bioinspired photothermal conversion coatings with self-healing superhydrophobicity for efficient solar steam generation

Abstract

Photothermal conversion materials are prone to contamination caused by microorganisms and mud in water and to damages caused by oxidative substances, corrosive liquids and ultraviolet light, thereby greatly limiting the practical application of solar steam generation. Inspired by lotuses, in this study, scalable, chemically and mechanically stable, and conductive photothermal conversion coatings with self-healing superhydrophobicity are fabricated by spraying a mixture of beeswax, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and polydimethylsiloxane. The resulting photothermal conversion coatings exhibit broadband light absorption ability and can thus efficiently generate steam under sunlight irradiation. The integration of superhydrophobicity provides the photothermal conversion coatings with a self-cleaning ability that can prevent the reduction of steam generation efficiency induced by microorganisms and mud in water. In addition, the photothermal conversion coatings are capable of healing damage to their superhydrophobicity through the migration of beeswax, providing long-lasting protection. Furthermore, the photothermal conversion coatings possess an electric steam generation ability, which allows the coatings to continuously generate steam when sunlight is not available. Considering their low maintenance requirement, simple preparation process and high cost effectiveness, photothermal conversion coatings with self-healing superhydrophobicity may be suitable to provide fresh water for remote/disaster areas.

Graphical abstract: Bioinspired photothermal conversion coatings with self-healing superhydrophobicity for efficient solar steam generation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Sep 2018
Accepted
07 Nov 2018
First published
09 Nov 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 24441-24451

Bioinspired photothermal conversion coatings with self-healing superhydrophobicity for efficient solar steam generation

D. Weng, F. Xu, X. Li, Y. Li and J. Sun, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 24441 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA08706G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements