3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination

Freshwater scarcity is a pressing issue worldwide, and solar steam generators (SSGs) have emerged as a promising device for seawater desalination, harnessing renewable solar energy to facilitate sustainable water evaporation. The facile fabrication approach for SSG with complex topologies to achieve...

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Main Authors: Hou, Yanbei, Gao, Ming, Bai, Xueyu, Zhao, Lihua, Du, Hejun, Zhou, Kun
Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180499
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1804992024-10-12T16:48:07Z 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination Hou, Yanbei Gao, Ming Bai, Xueyu Zhao, Lihua Du, Hejun Zhou, Kun School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab Singapore Centre for 3D Printing Engineering 3D-printing Evaporation rate Freshwater scarcity is a pressing issue worldwide, and solar steam generators (SSGs) have emerged as a promising device for seawater desalination, harnessing renewable solar energy to facilitate sustainable water evaporation. The facile fabrication approach for SSG with complex topologies to achieve high water evaporation efficiency remains a challenge. Herein, a MIL-101 (Fe)-derived C@Fe3O4 ink was employed to multi-jet fusion (MJF) printing of polymeric porous SSGs with specific topologies. The optimized porous structure endows the printed SSGs with capillary force, greatly promoting water transport. The tree-like topology enables high water evaporation rates under various simulated solar radiation conditions. A finite element model was built to fully understand the light-to-thermal energy conversion and water evaporation processes. Moreover, the MJF-printed SSGs exhibit self-cleaning properties and can automatically remove accumulated salt on their surfaces, enabling sustainable desalination. During prolonged testing, the water evaporation rate of the SSGs remained relatively stable and reached as high as 1.55 kg m−2 h−1. Additionally, the desalinated water met the standards for direct drinking water. This study presents a state-of-the-art technology for producing efficient SSGs for desalination and introduces a novel method for MJF printing of functional nanocomposites. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Published version This study was supported under the RIE2020 Industry Alignment Fund—Industry Collaboration Projects (IAF-ICP) Funding Initiative, Singapore, as well as cash and in-kind contribution from the industry partner, HP Inc. 2024-10-09T05:30:47Z 2024-10-09T05:30:47Z 2024 Journal Article Hou, Y., Gao, M., Bai, X., Zhao, L., Du, H. & Zhou, K. (2024). 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination. Applied Physics Reviews, 11(3), 031407-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0200505 1931-9401 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180499 10.1063/5.0200505 2-s2.0-85199470818 3 11 031407 en IAF-ICP Applied Physics Reviews © 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing. All rights reserved. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the copyright holder. The Version of Record is available online at http://doi.org/10.1063/5.0200505 application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Engineering
3D-printing
Evaporation rate
spellingShingle Engineering
3D-printing
Evaporation rate
Hou, Yanbei
Gao, Ming
Bai, Xueyu
Zhao, Lihua
Du, Hejun
Zhou, Kun
3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
description Freshwater scarcity is a pressing issue worldwide, and solar steam generators (SSGs) have emerged as a promising device for seawater desalination, harnessing renewable solar energy to facilitate sustainable water evaporation. The facile fabrication approach for SSG with complex topologies to achieve high water evaporation efficiency remains a challenge. Herein, a MIL-101 (Fe)-derived C@Fe3O4 ink was employed to multi-jet fusion (MJF) printing of polymeric porous SSGs with specific topologies. The optimized porous structure endows the printed SSGs with capillary force, greatly promoting water transport. The tree-like topology enables high water evaporation rates under various simulated solar radiation conditions. A finite element model was built to fully understand the light-to-thermal energy conversion and water evaporation processes. Moreover, the MJF-printed SSGs exhibit self-cleaning properties and can automatically remove accumulated salt on their surfaces, enabling sustainable desalination. During prolonged testing, the water evaporation rate of the SSGs remained relatively stable and reached as high as 1.55 kg m−2 h−1. Additionally, the desalinated water met the standards for direct drinking water. This study presents a state-of-the-art technology for producing efficient SSGs for desalination and introduces a novel method for MJF printing of functional nanocomposites.
author2 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
author_facet School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Hou, Yanbei
Gao, Ming
Bai, Xueyu
Zhao, Lihua
Du, Hejun
Zhou, Kun
format Article
author Hou, Yanbei
Gao, Ming
Bai, Xueyu
Zhao, Lihua
Du, Hejun
Zhou, Kun
author_sort Hou, Yanbei
title 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
title_short 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
title_full 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
title_fullStr 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
title_full_unstemmed 3D printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
title_sort 3d printing of bio-inspired porous polymeric solar steam generators for efficient and sustainable desalination
publishDate 2024
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180499
_version_ 1814047238771441664