A flexible sanded cotton fabric coated with Au@polypyrrole for seawater desalination

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-07, Vol.492, p.152309, Article 152309
• Main Authors: Sun, Zenghui, Huang, Fei, Cai, Yongshuang, Liang, Wanying, Fan, Siyu, Tu, Chao, Liu, Yufeng, Yan, Chao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Desalination; Photothermal; Polypyrrole; Sanded cotton fabric
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.152309

•The coated fabric achieved excellent tolerance to acidic and alkaline conditions.•The solar-driven evaporator displayed excellent salt rejection property.•The functional material exhibited high water evaporability (1.33 kg·m−2·h−1) and conversion efficiency (93.38 %). Nowadays, freshwater has increasingly become a scarce resource. Seawater distillation is limited due to the high costs and low conversion rates. Herein, a functional cotton fabric with significant photothermal properties was prepared through a simple sanding treatment, followed by a polypyrrole (PPy) and Au nanoparticles coating. The functional materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis. The solar water evaporation measurements showed that the sanded cotton fabrics coated Au@PPy exhibited excellent photothermal conversion with an energy efficiency being 93.38 % for solar-steam generation under 1.0 sun irradiation, corresponding to a water evaporation rate of 1.33 kg·m−2·h−1. Moreover, the coated fabric also exhibited excellent tolerance to acidic and alkaline conditions.