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    Carrot-inspired solar thermal evaporator

    Year: 2019

    Journal: J. Mater. Chem. A, Volume 7, DEC 21, page 26911–26916

    Authors: Long, Yaojia; Huang, Shaolong; Yi, Huan; Chen, Jiaqi; Wu, Jiahao; Liao, Qiufan; Liang, Huawei; Cui, Hongzhi; Ruan, Shuangchen; Zeng, Yu-Jia

    Organizations: National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [11874270]; Shenzhen Peacock Technological Innovation Project [KQJSCX20170727101208249]; Shenzhen Science and Technology Project [JCYJ20170412105400428, JCYJ20180507182246321]; Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong ProvinceNational Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province [2017A030310568]

    Solar steam generation appears as an emerging green strategy due to its potential applications in water desalination, power generation and chemical purification. Although a variety of efforts have been devoted to developing high-efficiency solar steam generation devices, a number of challenges remain, including the relatively low thermal efficiency, the complicated process, the high cost, and the difficulty in cycling. Herein, inspired by the natural water transportation in plants, a cheap carrot-inspired solar thermal evaporator (ethanol-treated-carrot biochar, ECB) has been reported by utilizing its inherent structure, which achieves a record high evaporation rate of 2.04 kg m(-2) h(-1) and an apparent energy conversion efficiency of 127.8% under one-sun illumination. The inherent structure not only enables sufficient water transportation, but also offers a high light-to-heat conversion efficiency originating from the carbonized surface. Furthermore, the excellent durability and environmental stability of the biochar allow for convenient recycling programs and practical applications.
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