GO/Bi2S3 Doped PVDF/TPU Nanofiber Membrane with Enhanced Photothermal Performance.

Wenxiu Yang,Wei Zhang,Yonggui Li,Long Feng,Xuemin Hu,Yimiao Hou,Seeram Ramakrishna,Shuo Wang,Bo Yang

doi:10.3390/ijms21124224

Abstract

Photothermal conversion materials have attracted wide attention due to their efficient utilization of light energy. In this study, a (GO)/Bi2S3-PVDF/TPU composite nanofiber membrane was systematically developed, comprising GO/Bi2S3 nanoparticles (NPs) as a photothermal conversion component and PVDF/TPU composite nanofibers as the substrate. The GO/Bi2S3 NPs were synthesized in a one-step way and the PVDF/TPU nanofibers were obtained from a uniformly mixed co-solution by electrospinning. GO nanoparticles with excellent solar harvesting endow the GO/Bi2S3-PVDF/TPU membrane with favorable photothermal conversion. In addition, the introduction of Bi2S3 NPs further enhances the broadband absorption and photothermal conversion properties of the GO/Bi2S3-PVDF/TPU composite membrane due to its perfect broadband absorption performance and coordination with GO. Finally, the results show that the GO/Bi2S3-PVDF/TPU composite membrane has the highest light absorption rate (about 95%) in the wavelength range of 400–2500 nm. In the 300 s irradiation process, the temperature changes in the GO/Bi2S3-PVDF/TPU composite membrane were the most significant and rapid, and the equilibrium temperature of the same irradiation time was 81 °C. Due to the presence of TPU, the mechanical strength of the composite film was enhanced, which is beneficial for its operational performance. Besides this, the morphology, composition, and thermal property of the membranes were evaluated by corresponding test methods.

Highlights

Photothermal conversion is an emerging approach using light energy which can be widely used in the fields of heat therapy, domestic water heating, photocatalysis, and others [1,2,3]
Ren et al [6] reported that a hierarchical graphene foam was used as a solar harvesting material by chemical vapor deposition technology
Graphene oxide (GO) aqueous solution was obtained from JCNANO, Inc. (Nanjing, China)

Summary

Introduction

Photothermal conversion is an emerging approach using light energy which can be widely used in the fields of heat therapy, domestic water heating, photocatalysis, and others [1,2,3]. Among several technologies for light energy utilization (including photothermal, photochemical, and photovoltaic conversion), photothermal conversion has the highest energy conversion efficiency [4]. Photothermal conversion materials are generally divided into the following three categories: (1) metal nanoparticles/metal oxides, (2) carbon-based materials, (3) polymer materials [4]. Xu et al [5] used a CuO nanowire mesh as a photothermal conversion material. Ren et al [6] reported that a hierarchical graphene foam was used as a solar harvesting material by chemical vapor deposition technology. Metal nano-ions/metal oxides and carbon-based materials can make the temperature rise faster under the same light conditions. Carbon-based materials are more environmentally friendly and have better broad band absorption and chemical stability compared with metal nanometer ions/metal oxides [9,10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion