Three-Dimensional Wood-Inspired Bilayer Membrane Device Containing Microchannels for Highly Efficient Solar Steam...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Solar steam generation is a promising technology for clean water production.
• Efficient solar steam devices require high light absorption, effective water transport, and structural stability.
• Existing devices often face challenges with low evaporation rates and complex fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel three-dimensional (3D) solar steam generation device.
• To enhance water evaporation rates and structural stability using a unique bilayer membrane design.
• To evaluate the device's performance for solar steam generation and desalination applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a bilayer membrane composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and PAN/graphene oxide (GO) with vertically aligned porous structures.
• Characterization of the membrane's water wicking, flux, and structural properties.
• Performance evaluation under varying solar light densities (1, 5, and 10 kW m⁻²).

Main Results:

• The developed 3D device exhibited a high water evaporation rate of 2.27 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ at 1 kW m⁻².
• Steam generation efficiency reached 92.63% under 1 kW m⁻² solar irradiation.
• The bilayer membrane demonstrated excellent water wicking, flux, and mechanical stability.

Conclusions:

• The novel PAN/GO bilayer composite device offers a facile fabrication route for efficient solar steam generation.
• The hierarchical pore structure and excellent water transport properties contribute to high performance.
• The device shows significant potential for solar desalination in resource-limited settings.