3D macroporous CUPC/g-C₃N₄ heterostructured composites for highly efficient multifunctional solar evaporation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is crucial for sustainable water recycling and purification.
• Effective solar evaporators require high photothermal efficiency, eco-friendly fabrication, and pollutant degradation capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel solar evaporator using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and copper phthalocyanine (CUPC) composites.
• To evaluate the material's efficiency in solar evaporation, pollutant degradation, and sterilization.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of superhydrophilic, 3D macroporous g-C3N4 via self-assembly and thermal polycondensation.
• Composite formation with varying weight ratios of CUPC (0.15%, 1.5%, 7.5%).
• Characterization of optical absorption, photothermal conversion efficiency, and interfacial solar evaporation efficiency.

Main Results:

• The CUPC-C3N4 composites exhibited strong absorption in red and infrared light.
• The CUPC-CN 7.5% composite achieved 98.5% photothermal conversion efficiency and 93.6% (seawater) to 98.7% (deionized water) solar evaporation efficiency.
• The material effectively decomposed dye molecules and inactivated E. coli bacteria.

Conclusions:

• The developed g-C3N4 and CUPC composite is a highly efficient and multifunctional solar evaporator.
• This work presents a novel approach for creating advanced interfacial evaporators using macroporous organic semiconductor heterostructures.
• The material shows significant potential for water purification and recycling applications.