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Applications of bio-derived/bio-inspired materials in the field of interfacial solar steam generation

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Abstract

Interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) system has attracted extensive attention as a sustainable desalination technology because of its cost efficiency and zero fossil-energy consumption. Aiming at optimizing the desalination properties, materials and system design have been the current research focus. Recently, many novel bio-derived/bio-inspired design strategies were proposed owing to their highly efficient structures inherited from nature, which were fine-tuned over eons of evolution, as well as their low cost and ease of treatment. In this review, we are going to systematically report recent progress of various bio-derived/bio-inspired strategies in terms of optical design, wetting, thermal management, and overall system design, presenting an overview of the current challenges of bio-inspired materials in ISSG system and other application fields. This article is intended to provide a comprehensive review of recent developments about bio-derived/bio-inspired materials in ISSG system and conclude with suggestions regarding further research directions for performance enhancement through design of bio-derived/bio-inspired materials.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52173235), Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (No. cstc2018jcyjAX0375), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. 2020CDJQY-A055 and 2019CDXYDL0007), Key Innovation Project for Clinical Technology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University (No. 2018JSLC0025).

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  1. Yang Geng and Kai Jiao contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Low-grade Energy Utilization Technologies and Systems, CQU-NUS Renewable Energy Materials & Devices Joint Laboratory, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Yang Geng, Kai Jiao, Xu Liu, Peijin Ying, Omololu Odunmbaku & Meng Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Kai Jiao

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, CQU-NUS Renewable Energy Materials & Devices Joint Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117573, Singapore

    Yaoxin Zhang & Swee Ching Tan

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Ling Li

  5. Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China

    Wei Zhang

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  1. Yang Geng
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Geng, Y., Jiao, K., Liu, X. et al. Applications of bio-derived/bio-inspired materials in the field of interfacial solar steam generation. Nano Res. 15, 3122–3142 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3834-9

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