ACS Nano | Literature Frontier | Low-cost, environmentally friendly, high-performance 3D laser-induced graphene photothermal evaporator

Research Background

Water scarcity has become a global challenge due to climate change, deforestation, population growth, and increasing water demand. While advanced water production plants are common in urban areas, remote islands and sparsely populated areas face significant barriers in establishing such technologies. Therefore, efficient, affordable, and sustainable water production technologies are urgently needed in these areas. Herein, we present a simple method to directly convert cotton fabric into graphene under ambient conditions using ultrashort pulse lasers. The resulting laser-induced graphene (LIG) shows a highest light absorption efficiency of 99.0% and a wide absorption range (250-2500 nm). As an excellent solar absorber, LIG ​​on cotton fabric can effectively absorb 98.6% of the total solar irradiance and its surface temperature can reach 84.5°C without light concentration. In addition, we propose a cost-effective 3D LIG evaporator (LIGE) for continuous solar desalination. This innovative design effectively alleviates the salt formation problem and improves the steam generation efficiency. The water evaporation rate and solar-to-steam conversion efficiency were measured to be approximately 1.709 kg m-2 h-1 and 95.1% , respectively, exceeding the values ​​reported in previous studies. The simplicity, durability, and continuous operation capability of 3D LIGE offer great promise for addressing the growing challenge of global water scarcity.

Currently, the article has been published in ACS Nano with the title “ Low-Cost, Eco-Friendly, and High-Performance 3D Laser-Induced Graphene Evaporator for Continuous Solar-Powered Water Desalination ” . The corresponding author of the article is Professor Young-Jin Kim from South Korea.

【Article Interpretation】

【Article Summary】

Here, we present a method to produce low-cost, efficient, flexible, and sustainable graphene solar absorbers. The laser fabrication process is simple and can be easily integrated into R2R manufacturing for large-scale production and commercialization. The resulting LIG solar absorber exhibits an excellent light absorptivity of 99.0% and a wide absorption range of 250-2500nm. As a result, the LIG solar absorber can absorb approximately 98.6% of the total solar irradiance, as demonstrated by a record high temperature of 84.5°C when exposed to sunlight. In addition, a 3D LIGE was developed to maximize the solar steam generation efficiency and reduce salt formation on the solar absorber . Experimental results show an impressive solar steam generation rate of approximately 1.709 kg m-2 h-1 and a solar-to-steam conversion efficiency of approximately 95.1%. This outstanding performance exceeds that reported in previous studies due to the unique combination of LIG and the innovative design of the 3D solar evaporator. The green, large-scale production of LIG solar absorbers on cotton fabric without the need for additional materials will not only help address the global water shortage problem, but also enable countless high-performance solar energy harvesting applications.

【Source】

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c12553