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Polymeric Membranes with Selective Solution‐Diffusion for Intercepting Volatile Organic Compounds during Solar‐Driven Water Remediation
Author(s) -
Qi Dianpeng,
Liu Yan,
Liu Yuanbin,
Liu Zhiyuan,
Luo Yifei,
Xu Hongbo,
Zhou Xin,
Zhang Jingjing,
Yang Hui,
Wang Wei,
Chen Xiaodong
Publication year - 2020
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.202004401
Subject(s) - materials science , groundwater remediation , evaporation , environmental remediation , membrane , permeation , chemical engineering , photothermal therapy , pollutant , portable water purification , mass transfer , water treatment , membrane technology , nanotechnology , environmental engineering , contamination , environmental science , chromatography , chemistry , organic chemistry , ecology , biochemistry , physics , engineering , biology , thermodynamics
Solar evaporation through a photothermal porous material provides a feasible and sustainable method for water remediation. Several photothermal materials have been developed to enhance solar evaporation efficiency. However, a critical limitation of current photothermal materials is their inability to separate water from the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in wastewater. Here, a microstructured ultrathin polymeric membrane that enables freshwater separation from VOC pollutants by solar evaporation with a VOC removal rate of 90%, is reported. The different solution‐diffusion behaviors of water and VOCs with polymeric membranes facilitate their separation. Moreover, owing to increased light absorption, enlarged liquid–air interface, and shortened mass transfer distance, the microstructured and ultrathin configuration of the membrane helps to balance the tradeoff between permeation selectivity and water production capacity. The membrane is not only effective for evaporation of simulated volatile pollutants in a prototype, but can also intercept complex volatile organic contaminants in natural water sources and produce water that meets drinking‐water standards. With practical demonstration and satisfactory purification performance, this work paves the way for practical application of solar evaporation for effective water remediation.