Colloidal Plasmonic TiN Nanoparticles for Efficient Solar Seawater Desalination

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• High cost of noble metals hinders industrial production of plasmonic nanomaterials.
• Need for cost-effective, non-noble metal alternatives with excellent plasmonic properties.
• Titanium nitride (TiN) as a promising candidate for plasmonic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve gram-scale production of various shaped TiN nanoparticles.
• To evaluate TiN nanoparticles as photothermal materials for solar seawater desalination.
• To assess the efficiency of TiN-based composites for phenol removal.

Main Methods:

• Gram-scale synthesis of TiN nanospheres, nanobipyramids, and nanorod arrays.
• Embedding TiN nanospheres and nanobipyramids in porous poly(vinyl alcohol) films.
• Testing photothermal performance for solar seawater desalination and photocatalytic phenol degradation.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced TiN nanoparticles with strong plasmon-enabled broadband light absorption.
• Achieved a record seawater evaporation rate of 3.8 kg m^-2 h^-1 using TiN-based photothermal material.
• Demonstrated 98.3% phenol removal efficiency attributed to photocatalysis and superhydrophilicity.

Conclusions:

• TiN nanoparticles offer a viable, cost-effective alternative to noble metals for plasmonic applications.
• TiN-based composites show exceptional performance in solar seawater desalination.
• The developed materials exhibit significant potential for environmental remediation through photocatalysis.