| Affiliation: | 1. MOE Engineering Center of Separation Membranes and Water Treatment, and Key Lab of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China;2. School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519082 China;3. MOE Engineering Center of Separation Membranes and Water Treatment, and Key Lab of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China
The “Belt and Road” Sino-Portugal Joint Lab on Advanced Materials, International Research Center for X Polymers, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China;4. Center for Molecular Engineering, Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, and Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Energy Frontier Research Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439 USA |
| Abstract: | Solar-driven evaporation process brings exciting opportunities to recover clean water and resources in a sustainable way from diverse sources like seawater and wastewater. Separation membranes, as a vital material in many environmental and energy applications, can contribute significantly to this process owing to their structural features. However, the unique roles of membranes in solar evaporator construction and process design are seldom recognized and not summarized yet from scientific principles and application demands, which forms the motivation of this review. Herein, the roles of membranes in different processes based on solar-driven evaporation are focused and the design principles of membrane materials and devices to meet the requirements of these applications are discussed. Fabrication strategies for photothermal membranes are introduced primarily, followed by a discussion on how to design membrane materials, devices, and processes to pursue optimal performance and realize advanced functions accompanied by evaporation. Furthermore, the future of this field is forecast with both challenges and opportunities. |
