Solar-induced hybrid energy harvesters for advanced oxidation water treatment

Water treatment based on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) supplies clean water to rural areas lacking electric power supply and/or during natural disasters and pandemics. Considering the abundance of solar energy in the ambient environment, the solar-driven AOPs show an interesting potential to driving the water purification process. Involving the energy harvester (EH) that harvests mechanical or thermal energy into electricity to the solar-driven AOPs can achieve sustainable and self-powered water purification. Herein, we summarize the recent progress in the application of solar-induced hybrid EHs that harvest solar and mechanical/thermal energy simultaneously to drive AOP water treatment. A detailed discussion of the solar-induced hybrid EHs enabling AOP water treatment based on the mechanisms of piezo-, tribo-, pyro-, and thermo-assisted photocatalysis is provided. In addition, this paper explores future opportunities and strategies of the solar-induced hybrid EHs to drive the AOP water treatment in actual situations with unstable and fluctuating environmental conditions.