Luminescence Reduced Graphene Oxide Based Photothermal Purification of Seawater for Drinkable Purpose

Getting drinking water from seawater is a hope and long-term goal that has long been explored. Here, we report graphene-loaded nonwoven fabric membranes for seawater purification based on photothermal heating. The photothermal membrane of non-woven fabric loaded with graphene oxide has high light absorption and strong heating effect, and its evaporation rate about 5 times higher than that of non-woven fabric. Under the condition of light intensity of 1 kW m^-2, the evaporation rate can reach 1.33 kg m^-2 h^-1. The results of cell activity test showed that the concentration of bacteria after photothermal membrane treatment decreased significantly. The photothermal membrane can be used for many times without greatly reducing the evaporation efficiency, which means that it is suitable for regional water purification and seawater desalination.