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Updated: Aug 22, 2025
Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
A Simple and Efficient Solar Interfacial Evaporation Device Based on Carbonized Cattail and Agarose Hydrogel for
Liang Wang1, Jilei Wei2, Chen Zhou2,3
1School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Nanjing Polytechnic Institute, 188 Xinle Road, Nanjing 210048, China.
Abstract:
One of the main trends in the development of solar interface evaporation technology is the simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly bio-based evaporation device. However, the development of bio-based evaporators with high water evaporation rates and good pollution removal capability is a significant challenge. Here, we present a carbonized cattail-agarose hydrogel (CCAH) membrane with numerous microchannels resembling bamboo knots, exceptional hydrophilicity, outstanding light absorption capability, and potent adsorption. Under one solar irradiation, its evaporation rate and efficiency reached 1.93 kg m-2 h-1 and 95.8%, respectively. More importantly, the CCAH membrane produces steam water that is almost totally free of salts (Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+), heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cr2+), and organic dyes (Rhodamine B, methylene blue, and methyl orange). The CCAH membrane is highly promising for the use of saltwater desalination and wastewater recovery to help people in impoverished areas with water scarcity problems.
