Integrated highly hydrated cellulose network with synergistic photothermal effect for efficient solar-driven water evaporation and salt resistance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Chen ◽  
Jin Yang ◽  
Lin Zhu ◽  
Xiaohua Jia ◽  
Sizhe Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Salt Resistance ◽  
Bulk Water ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Photothermal Effect ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Hydrated Cellulose

Solar-driven water evaporation is an effective approach for using solar energy to purify seawater and wastewater. However, the high energy requirements of bulk water evaporation fundamentally restrict the practical application...

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

Efficient Co-Harvesting of Solar Energy and Low-Grade Heat by Molecular Photoswitches for High Energy Density, Long-Term Stable Solar Thermal Battery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao-Yang Zhang ◽  
Tao LI
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Thermal Battery ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Solar energy and ambient heat are two inexhaustible energy sources for addressing the global challenge of energy and sustainability. Solar thermal battery based on molecular switches that can store solar energy and release it as heat has recently attracted great interest, but its development is severely limited by both low energy density and short storage stability. On the other hand, the efficient recovery and upgrading of low-grade heat, especially that of the ambient heat, has been a great challenge. Here we report that solar energy and ambient heat can be simultaneously harvested and stored, which is enabled by room-temperature photochemical crystal-to-liquid transitions of small-molecule photoswitches. The two forms of energy are released together to produce high-temperature heat during the reverse photochemical phase change. This strategy, combined with molecular design, provides high energy density of 320-370 J/g and long-term storage stability (half-life of about 3 months). On this basis, we fabricate high-performance, flexible film devices of solar thermal battery, which can be readily recharged at room temperature with good cycling ability, show fast rate of heat release, and produce high-temperature heat that is >20<sup> o</sup>C higher than the ambient temperature. Our work opens up a new avenue to harvest ambient heat, and demonstrate a feasible strategy to develop high-performance solar thermal battery.

scholarly journals From natural to artificial photosynthesis

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (81) ◽  
pp. 20120984 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Barber ◽  
Phong D. Tran
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nuclear Fusion ◽  
Fusion Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Chemical Bonds ◽  
Natural Photosynthesis

Demand for energy is projected to increase at least twofold by mid-century relative to the present global consumption because of predicted population and economic growth. This demand could be met, in principle, from fossil energy resources, particularly coal. However, the cumulative nature of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions demands that stabilizing the atmospheric CO 2 levels to just twice their pre-anthropogenic values by mid-century will be extremely challenging, requiring invention, development and deployment of schemes for carbon-neutral energy production on a scale commensurate with, or larger than, the entire present-day energy supply from all sources combined. Among renewable and exploitable energy resources, nuclear fusion energy or solar energy are by far the largest. However, in both cases, technological breakthroughs are required with nuclear fusion being very difficult, if not impossible on the scale required. On the other hand, 1 h of sunlight falling on our planet is equivalent to all the energy consumed by humans in an entire year. If solar energy is to be a major primary energy source, then it must be stored and despatched on demand to the end user. An especially attractive approach is to store solar energy in the form of chemical bonds as occurs in natural photosynthesis. However, a technology is needed which has a year-round average conversion efficiency significantly higher than currently available by natural photosynthesis so as to reduce land-area requirements and to be independent of food production. Therefore, the scientific challenge is to construct an ‘artificial leaf’ able to efficiently capture and convert solar energy and then store it in the form of chemical bonds of a high-energy density fuel such as hydrogen while at the same time producing oxygen from water. Realistically, the efficiency target for such a technology must be 10 per cent or better. Here, we review the molecular details of the energy capturing reactions of natural photosynthesis, particularly the water-splitting reaction of photosystem II and the hydrogen-generating reaction of hydrogenases. We then follow on to describe how these two reactions are being mimicked in physico-chemical-based catalytic or electrocatalytic systems with the challenge of creating a large-scale robust and efficient artificial leaf technology.

scholarly journals A Novel Fast Photothermal Therapy Using Hot Spots of Gold Nanorods for Malignant Melanoma Cells

Nanomaterials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhua Yao ◽  
Nannan Zhang ◽  
Xiao Liu ◽  
Qiaofeng Dai ◽  
Haiying Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Malignant Melanoma ◽  
Gold Nanorods ◽  
Plasmon Resonance ◽  
Photothermal Therapy ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Melanoma Cells ◽  
Photothermal Effect ◽  
A375 Cells

In this paper, the plasmon resonance effects of gold nanorods was used to achieve rapid photothermal therapy for malignant melanoma cells (A375 cells). After incubation with A375 cells for 24 h, gold nanorods were taken up by the cells and gold nanorod clusters were formed naturally in the organelles of A375 cells. After analyzing the angle and space between the nanorods in clusters, a series of numerical simulations were performed and the results show that the plasmon resonance coupling between the gold nanorods can lead to a field enhancement of up to 60 times. Such high energy localization causes the temperature around the nanorods to rise rapidly and induce cell death. In this treatment, a laser as low as 9.3 mW was used to irradiate a single cell for 20 s and the cell died two h later. The cell death time can also be controlled by changing the power of laser which is focused on the cells. The advantage of this therapy is low laser treatment power, short treatment time, and small treatment range. As a result, the damage of the normal tissue by the photothermal effect can be greatly avoided.

Bifunctional Cu2-xSe-decorated hierarchical TiO2 nanotube mesh with solar water evaporation and photodegradation effects for clean water generation

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 2001-2008
Author(s):  
Peng Ren ◽  
Xiuchun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Tio2 Nanotube ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Localized Surface Plasmon ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Solar Water ◽  
Feasible Solutions ◽  
Simulated Solar Irradiation

Abstract The desalination and purification of sea or brackish water by utilizing solar energy are considered to be the most feasible solutions to overcome the problems of water shortage and pollution. In this study, a bifunctional Cu2-xSe-decorated hierarchical TiO2 nanotube mesh (CTNM) was designed and synthesized successfully for both solar water evaporation and photodegradation. Cu2-xSe enhances solar light absorption and solar water evaporation performance as a low-cost absorber because of its localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. Meanwhile, the formation of the p-Cu2-xSe/n-TiO2 heterojunction improves the photodegradation performance by increasing separation and transport of photogenerated charge carriers. Hence, CTNM has a relatively high solar water evaporation conversion efficiency of 83.06% and also can photodegrade 95% of methyl orange after 3 h under 2.5 kW m−2 simulated solar irradiation, which demonstrate the extremely high utilization ratio of solar energy of CTNM.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Agricultural Supply of Desalinated Seawater in Southeastern Spain

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoriano Martínez-Alvarez ◽  
Jose F. Maestre-Valero ◽  
Manuel J. González-Ortega ◽  
Belén Gallego-Elvira ◽  
Bernardo Martin-Gorriz
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Seawater Desalination ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Desalination Plants

The increasing shortage of water for crop irrigation in arid and semiarid regions is encouraging the use of non-conventional resources. In the last decade, seawater desalination has consolidated its position as an alternative source to increase the supply for agricultural irrigation in Spain and Israel, where the farmers’ acceptance is progressively rising, despite the supply price being much higher than that of other conventional water sources. This article describes the current situation of desalinated seawater production and supply to agriculture in the southeast of Spain, and analyzes key questions such as its role in regional water planning, the infrastructure needed for conveyance and distribution, the energy requirements, the production and distribution costs, and the final price to farmers. The study is based on descriptive and quantitative data collected from desalination plants and irrigation district managers through technical questionnaires and personal interviews. The results show how seawater desalination is effectively alleviating the regional constraints in the irrigated agriculture supply, and why it is becoming strategic to maintaining food production and socioeconomic development. However, the high-energy requirements and associated costs in comparison with other water sources limit a more widespread use for agriculture, and for this reason desalinated water still only plays a complementary role in most irrigation districts.

Porosity Evaluation of Alternative Materials Based on Portland Cement

2014 ◽  
Vol 1000 ◽  
pp. 314-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ladislav Pařízek ◽  
Eva Bartoníčková ◽  
Vlastimil Bílek Jr. ◽  
Jiří Kratochvíl
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Coal Combustion ◽  
Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Mercury Intrusion ◽  
Secondary Raw Materials ◽  
Alternative Materials

High energy requirements and the resulting economic demands due to the production of Portland cement leads to tendency to replace a portion of cement with secondary raw materials or to use other alternative binders. Among the commonly used cements replacements is currently fly ash which is produced during the coal combustion. In this paper the influence of cement/ash ratio in a paste on paste’s porosity is investigated using mercury intrusion porosimetry.

Hierarchical Ti1−xZrxO2−y nanocrystals with exposed high energy facets showing co-catalyst free solar light driven water splitting and improved light to energy conversion efficiency

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (33) ◽  
pp. 17341-17351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreyasi Chattopadhyay ◽  
Swastik Mondal ◽  
Goutam De
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Single Crystals ◽  
Water Splitting ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Co Catalyst ◽  
Solar Water Splitting ◽  
Catalyst Free

Ti1−xZrxO2−y single crystals with exposed high energy facets and defects show co-catalyst free solar water splitting and high solar energy conversion in DSSCs.

scholarly journals Prey selection by the common dolphin: Fulfilling high energy requirements with high quality food

2010 ◽  
Vol 390 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Spitz ◽  
Emeline Mourocq ◽  
Jean-Pierre Leauté ◽  
Jean-Claude Quéro ◽  
Vincent Ridoux
Keyword(s):  
Prey Selection ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Energy Requirements ◽  
Common Dolphin ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Food ◽  
The Common
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