Recently, a research paper titled Flexible, scalable, and bifunctional MOF-based nanofibrous membranes with gems-on-string structure for simultaneous efficient water evaporation and pollution remediation was published in the TOP Q1 journal Chemical Engineering Journal in the fields of materials and chemical engineering (with a 2024 impact factor of 13.4). The paper's first author is YCIT master's student Ge Song, with Dr. Song Jun, Prof. Xie Minghua, and Prof. Yang Xiuli serving as corresponding authors. Yancheng Institute of Technology is the sole corresponding institution.
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) is a highly promising technology for freshwater production. However, when treating wastewater containing organic pollutants, these contaminants may concentrate during the evaporation process, not only damaging the lifespan of photothermal materials but also potentially causing new environmental problems due to the discharge of concentrated wastewater.
To address this issue, this study constructed a flexible bifunctional nanofibrous membrane evaporator with a "gems-on-string structure" by uniformly decorating PPy nanoparticles on electrospun flexible SiO2 nanofibers and ingeniously fixing ZIF-67 polyhedra using a simple hot-pressing method, achieving simultaneous clean water production and source water purification. This novel and unique hierarchical micro-nano structure significantly enhanced full-spectrum light absorption (96.3%) and photothermal conversion efficiency. Additionally, the membrane's superhydrophilicity and hierarchical interconnected channels facilitated water transport and reduced evaporation enthalpy. More importantly, the synergistic effect of PPy's localized heating effect, ZIF-67's photocatalytic properties, and Co sites significantly promoted the activation of PMS (peroxymonosulfate).
Results showed that this bifunctional evaporator achieved a rapid evaporation rate of 2.29 kg m-2h-1 and a solar-to-water conversion efficiency of 93.2% under one sun illumination, while maintaining a high removal efficiency of 92.5% for tetracycline. When processing complex wastewater/seawater, the evaporator could produce 5.3 kg m-2 of freshwater daily.
This study not only provides an effective strategy for preparing flexible high-performance photothermal catalytic membranes but also offers a sustainable platform for freshwater production and wastewater purification. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52203072, 22474122, 22171239, 21775136, 21771158), Jiangsu Key Research and Development Program for Social Development (BE2022772), Jiangsu "333 Project," and "Blue Project," among others.
Original link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.163143
