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Cellulose Nanomaterials in Interfacial Evaporators for Desalination: A “Natural” Choice
Author(s) -
Cao Sisi,
Rathi Priya,
Wu Xuanhao,
Ghim Deoukchen,
Jun YoungShin,
Singamaneni Srikanth
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202000922
Subject(s) - cellulose , nanocellulose , materials science , nanomaterials , bacterial cellulose , nanotechnology , polymer science , chemical engineering , engineering
Abstract Herein, the recent advances in realizing highly efficient cellulose‐based solar evaporators for alleviating the global water crisis are summarized. Fresh water scarcity is one of the most threatening issues for sustainable development. Solar steam generation, which harnesses the abundant sunlight, has been recognized as a sustainable approach to harvest fresh water. In contrast to synthetic polymeric materials that can pose serious negative environmental impacts, cellulose‐based materials, owing to their biocompatibility, renewability, and sustainability, are highly attractive for realizing solar steam generators. The molecular and macromolecular features of cellulose and the physicochemical properties of extracted cellulose nanoparticles (cellulose nanocrystals and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF)) and natural cellulose materials (wood and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC)) that make them attractive as supporting substrate materials in solar steam generators are briefly discussed. Recent progress in designing highly efficient cellulose‐based solar evaporators, including utilizing extracted cellulose nanoparticles via bottom‐up assembly CNF, natural cellulose materials with intrinsic hierarchical structure (wood and BNC), and commercial planar cellulose substrates (air‐laid paper, cellulose paper, and cotton fabric) is reviewed. The outstanding challenges that need to be addressed for these materials and devices to be utilized in the real‐world and in overcoming global water crisis are also briefly highlighted.