A WSe2 based hydrogel evaporator for water purification and solar desalination

Abstract

To solve the dilemma of water pollution and clean water shortage, an optimized interface evaporator was proposed, whose structure included a CeO2 floating layer (CCF) and a WSe2 hydrogel (WAH). The CCF loaded by superhydrophobic CeO2 achieved a non-wetting state with a contact angle of 160.6°, and the selective adsorption of the floating oil was realized. In order to synchronously solve the dye-containing sewage discharged by textile factories, synthetic bismuth oxychloride/bismuth tungstate was deposited on the surface of CCF, and a Z-type heterostructure was determined by calculating the band structure. The WAH grown with a polyurethane sponge as the backbone had excellent hydrophilic properties, with water droplets spreading on the surface for less than 20 ms with a plastic deformation of less than 5 % after 10 cycles at a strain of 30 %. The WAH plays the function of photothermal conversion and water supply. The interface evaporator is designed for its versatility, which is suitable for desalination that requires salt suppression capacity, and is also applied to inland sewage to produce clean steam.