Photothermal Conversion Ability Research Articles

Black Phosphorus Tagged Responsive Strontium Hydrogel Particles for Bone Defect Repair.

Hydrogel-derived implants have proven value in bone tissue regeneration, and current efforts have concentrated on devising strategies for producing functional implants with desired structures and functions to improve therapeutic outcomes. Herein, a novel black phosphorus (BP) tagged responsive strontium (Sr) hydrogel particles are presented for bone defect repair. By applying microfluidic technology, Sr and carboxymethyl chitosan, and BP are integrated into poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) hydrogel matrix to generate such microparticles called pNBCSMs. Upon exposure to near-infrared irradiation, the pNBCSMs experience volume shrinkage and provoke the extrusion of the incorporated Sr, ascribed to the photothermal conversion ability of BP and the thermosensitivity of pNIPAM. In vitro and in vivo experimental results reveal that pNBCSMs subjected to near-infrared light display superior anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, bacterial inhibitory, as well as osteogenesis-promoting effects, thereby effectively improving defective cranial bone repair. These features suggest that the proposed pNBCSMs can be promising candidates for bone repair.

Preparation of Superhydrophobic and Multifunctional Sponges for Oil/Water Separation and Oil Absorption.

For settling the recycling problem of waste polyurethane sponges (PU) and environment pollution of oil spills simultaneously, this work exploited the multifunctional superhydrophobic PU materials via the dip-coating method, which were prepared by anchoring modified Fe3O4 and expandable graphite (EG) on PU sponges under the adhesion effect of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The water contact angle and sliding angle of as-prepared PU sponges reached 154.1 ± 1.6 and 8°, respectively. Most importantly, the superhydrophobic PU sponges were endowed with the multipath oil treatment ability, which consisted of magnetically driven, gravity-driven, peristaltic pump-driven, and photothermally driven modes. Besides, the light oil absorption capacity, separation flux, and efficiency for superhydrophobic PU sponges reached 23.9 g/g, 27779 L m-2 h-1, and 99.5%, respectively. Owing to the photothermal conversion ability of Fe3O4 and EG, the temperature of superhydrophobic PU sponges was raised to 71.5 °C within 233 s under 1.2 solar irradiation (1200 W/m2), demonstrating its absorption potential for high-viscosity crude oils. In addition, the prepared sponges exhibited good chemical/mechanical stability, self-cleaning, and flame retardancy. In a nutshell, this article has evolved an environmentally benign and practical method for fabricating the multifunctional materials in oil spill treatment, which will efficiently accomplish the targets of low carbon and environmental management.

One-Pot Synthesis of Fe-Norepinephrine Nanoparticles for Synergetic Thermal-Enhanced Chemodynamic Therapy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an innovative and burgeoning strategy that utilizes Fenton-Fenton-like chemistry and specific microenvironments to produce highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH), with numerous methods emerging to refine this approach. Herein, we report a coordination compound, Fe-norepinephrine nanoparticles (Fe-NE NPs), via a one-pot synthesis. The Fe-NE NPs are based on ferrous ions (Fe2+) and norepinephrine, which are capable of efficient Fe2+/Fe3+ delivery. Once internalized by tumor cells, the released Fe2+/Fe3+ exerts the Fenton reaction to specifically produce toxic •OH. Moreover, the internal photothermal conversion ability of Fe-NE NPs allows us to simultaneously introduce light to trigger local heat generation and then largely improve the Fenton reaction efficiency, which enables a synergetic photothermal and chemodynamic therapy to realize satisfactory in vivo antitumor efficiency. This proof-of-concept work offers a promising approach to developing nanomaterials and refining strategies for enhanced CDT against tumors.

Fabrication of black metal surface for high solar energy absorption by femtosecond laser hybrid technology

Metals are crucial for solar energy applications, but their highly reflective surfaces limit solar energy absorption. The difficulty in manufacturing an ideal light-absorbing structure limits the incorporation of anti-reflective characteristics in metals. In this study, a femtosecond laser method was introduced to form micro-nano structures in metals, enhancing absorption by the application of silver nanoparticles and resulting in solar absorption rates of 97.2%, 98.3%, and 98.9% for aluminum, titanium, and steel, respectively. The solar reflectance was reduced by 82.3%, 62.6%, and 79.2%, respectively, compared to bare metal. Photothermal conversion and deicing tests verified a more efficient photothermal conversion ability in the composite micro-nanostructure surface. Compared to bare metal, the structure has more than twice the solar absorption efficiency and improves the deicing efficiency by 132%. The resultant material exhibits high photothermal conversion and deicing efficiencies, enhancing its potential for solar energy applications, particularly in photothermal, photovoltaic, and thermal solar technologies.

Tough, antimicrobial, recyclable hydrogel with tree-trunk-inspired core‐sheath structure for efficient all-day desalination

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation, an economically friendly freshwater harvesting technology, faces the challenge of achieving efficient all-day desalination. Inspired by the core‐sheath structure of tree trunks, herein, a hydrogel evaporator features internal vertical lamellar sodium alginate (SA) pores supported by aramid fiber (AF) networks and surface covered with a dense layer of copper sulfide (CuS) and was fabricated through freeze-drying-cycling alternating immersion method. The internal vertical SA lamellar structure endows the hydrogel with strong water transport capability, while the high photothermal conversion ability of the surface CuS layer enables rapid water evaporation. Therefore, as 2D evaporators, the evaporation rate in highly concentrated salt solutions (15 wt%) is up to 2.07 kg m-2 h-1 under 1.0 sun. As 3D evaporators, efficient evaporation is achieved throughout the day by compensating evaporation at the sides and top. Under the irradiation of 0.2 and 0.8 suns outdoors, the evaporation rate of the 3D evaporator can reach 7.47 kg m-2 h-1 and 12.60 kg m-2 h-1, respectively, and its total evaporation is 4.72 times higher than that of the 2D evaporator. Notably, the hydrogel evaporator has excellent anti-salt properties, antimicrobial properties, and recyclability. This work provides valuable guidance for designing and developing practical hydrogel evaporators.

Enhancing phase change fiber composites with double shell capsules: Magnetic response and photothermal conversion studies

Phase change fibers (PCFs) with temperature-regulating ability have received more and more attention due to their great potential in various advanced applications. However, the preparation of PCFs by electrospinning or wet spinning will release a lot of organic solvents, and it is difficult to solve the leakage problems during thermal cycling and single functionality. Herein, we propose an environmentally friendly and efficient melt spinning strategy to prepare multifunctional magnetic PCFs (MPCFs). Initially, a double shell composed by SiO2–Fe3O4 was constructed of Si–O–Si bond, which not only endowed the prepared phase change capsules with sensitive magnetic responsiveness (18.22 emu/g), but also improved their thermal stability (∼20.0 °C), thus it can be applied in melt spinning. Then the MPCFs prepared by melt spinning exhibited a range of desirable properties inherited from the phase change capsules, including pronounced thermal regulation (Hm = 23.8 J/g), which is higher than most of the PCFs based on phase change capsules. As well as good cycle stability (120 times), sensitive magnetic responsiveness (Ms = 2.68 emu/g), and efficient photothermal conversion ability (66.1 %). Therefore, this study sheds new insight into the preparation of multifunction MPCFs by melting spinning.

Tree-like 3D GNP-rPN composite structure for solar-thermal evaporation and photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic wastewater

To realize high-yield and long-term purification of wastewater containing antibiotic ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) and seawater, a tree-like 3D GNP-rPN solar-driven water evaporation and photocatalysis evaporator is developed by preparing and assembling GO/NPDI/PVA (GNP) hydrogel (canopy) and rGO/PU/NPDI (rPN) foam (trunk). The “tree-like” evaporation and photocatalysis evaporator design in this work has the following three characteristics: First of all, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets broaden the light absorption range of the photocatalyst perylene imide nanowires (NPDI), which facilitates absorption of more sunlight; secondly, GO and rGO adsorb pollutants in water and provide them to NPDI for catalytic degradation under sunlight irradiation because of their huge specific surface area; thirdly, the excellent photothermal conversion ability of GO and rGO converts solar energy into heat energy, thus facilitating the catalytic degradation of CIP by NPDI. Thanks to the reduced enthalpy of water evaporation by GNP hydrogel, the sufficient top-down water supply, the superior photocatalytic performance of NPDI nanowires, and the efficient solar light absorption and solar-thermal energy conversion of the GO sheets and NPDI nanowires, the resultant GNP-rPN evaporation and photocatalysis system achieves an average water evaporation rate of 2.84 kg m−2 h−1 and a CIP degradation efficiency of 74.04 % within 1 h under 1-sun irradiation. The GNP-rPN system exhibits an optimal degradation efficiency of 74.04 % for a CIP solution with an initial concentration of 10 mg/L within 1 h of irradiation, reaching a degradation efficiency of 96.37 % after 4 h, demonstrating its effectiveness in purifying antibiotic-laden wastewater.

Synergistic Effect Between 0D CQDs and 2D MXene to Enhance the Photothermal Conversion of Hydrogel Evaporators for Efficient Solar Water Evaporation, Photothermal Sensing and Electricity Generation.

Solar-powered interfacial water evaporation is a promising technique for alleviating freshwater stress. However, the evaporation performance of solar evaporators is still constrained by low photothermal conversion efficiency and high water evaporation enthalpy. Herein, 0D carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are combined with 2D MXene to serve as a hybrid photothermal material to enhance the light absorption and photothermal conversion ability, meanwhile sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels are used as a substrate material for water transport to reduce the enthalpy of water evaporation. The synergistic effect in 0D CQDs/2D MXene hybrid photothermal materials accelerate the carrier transfer, inducing efficient localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. This results in the enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency. The integrated hydrogel evaporators demonstrate a high evaporation rate (1.93 and 2.86kgm-2h-1 under 1 and 2 sunlights, respectively) and low evaporation enthalpy (1485Jg-1). In addition, the hydrogel evaporators are applied for photothermal sensing and temperature difference power generation (TEG). The TEG device presents an efficient output power density (230.7mWm-2) under 1 sunlight. This work provides a feasible approach for regulating and controlling the evaporation performances of hydrogel evaporators, and gives a proof-of-concept for the design of multipurpose solar evaporation systems.

H2O2 Self‐Supplying CaO2/POM@MOF Bimodal Nanogeneration Materials for Photothermal and Chemodynamic Synergistic Antimicrobials

ABSTRACTThe emergence of bacterial resistance has a negative impact on the conventional antimicrobial treatments, and research into the development of the new antimicrobial materials is of great significance. Multimodal synergistic antimicrobial materials exert better antimicrobial effects compared with a single modality. In recent years, Polyoxometalate (POM) has shown great potential in the biomedical field due to its high catalytic activity and high photothermal conversion ability. However, owing to its small surface area, its applications have been greatly limited. Herein, we designed a H2O2 self‐supplied CDT and PTT bimodal nanogeneration material (i.e., CaO2/POM@MOF) possessing a larger surface area for the treatment of the bacterial infections, in which CaO2 could release O2 and H2O2 in the weakly acidic microenvironment of bacterial infection and the dual catalytic site of POM@MOF could enhance the CDT reaction to generate ROS, resulting in the bacterial oxidative stress and the leakage of the bacterial contents, and the exposure to the NIR light generates localized high temperature that cause the rupture of bacterial cell membranes and the denaturation of their proteins. Meanwhile, the superior stability of POM@MOF can release fewer metal ions to improve its biocompatibility. The in vitro antimicrobial experiments demonstrated that CaO2/POM@MOF possessed the combined CDT and PTT effect and exhibited excellent antimicrobial efficacy. This work presents a promising strategy to combat the bacterial infections.

Hyaluronic acid/chitosan microcapsules capped with hollow CuS nanoparticles for NIR/pH dual-responsive drug release

Hollow natural polysaccharide microcapsules have broad applications in drug delivery field due to their excellent biocompatibility and drug loading efficiency. In this paper, pH/near-infrared (NIR) dual-responsive microcapsules composed of hyaluronic acid (HA), chitosan (CS) and hollow CuS (HA/CS/HA@CuS) had been fabricated via a layer-by-layer (LbL) approach. The negative charge, rough surface and hollow structure of microcapsules are very favorable for loading positively charged DOX. As a result, hollow microcapsules display a high drug loading efficiency of 91.15 %. The variation in the degree of amino ionization at different pH values leads to the changes in the electrostatic force between CS/HA multilayers, resulting in the structural change in microcapsules. Therefore, microcapsules exhibit significant pH-responsive drug release properties. In addition, hollow CuS nanoparticles with excellent photothermal conversion ability are capped on the multilayer surface, enabling microcapsules to exhibit excellent NIR-responsive drug delivery properties. Overall, hyaluronic acid/chitosan-based hollow microcapsules with notable pH/NIR dual-responsiveness have been prepared, which can be used as a potential drug carrier for controlled drug delivery and photothermal chemical combination therapy.

As Aggregation‐Induced Emission Meets with Noncovalent Conformational Locks: Subtly Regulating NIR‐II Molecules for Multimodal Imaging‐Navigated Synergistic Therapies

Phototheranostics is growing into a sparking frontier in disease treatment. Developing single molecular species synchronously featured by powerful absorption capacity, superior second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) fluorescence and prominent photothermal conversion ability is highly desirable for phototheranostics, yet remains formidably challenging. In this work, we propose a molecular design philosophy that the integration of noncovalent conformational locks (NoCLs) with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) in a single formulation is able to boost multiple photophysical properties for efficient phototheranostics. The introduction of NoCLs skeleton with conformation‐locking feature in the center of molecular architecture indeed elevates the structural planarity and rigidity, which simultaneously promotes the absorption capacity and bathochromic‐shifts the emission wavelength centered in NIR‐II region. Meanwhile, the AIE tendency mainly originated from flexibly propeller‐like geometry at the ends of molecular architecture eventually endows the molecule with satisfactory emission intensity and photothermal conversion in aggregates. Consequently, by utilizing the optimized molecule, unprecedented performance on NIR‐II fluorescence‐photoacoustic‐photothermal trimodal imaging‐guided photothermal‐chemo synergistic therapy is demonstrated by the precise tumor diagnosis and complete tumor ablation.

As Aggregation-Induced Emission Meets with Noncovalent Conformational Locks: Subtly Regulating NIR-II Molecules for Multimodal Imaging-Navigated Synergistic Therapies.

Phototheranostics is growing into a sparking frontier in disease treatment. Developing single molecular species synchronously featured by powerful absorption capacity, superior second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence and prominent photothermal conversion ability is highly desirable for phototheranostics, yet remains formidably challenging. In this work, we propose a molecular design philosophy that the integration of noncovalent conformational locks (NoCLs) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in a single formulation is able to boost multiple photophysical properties for efficient phototheranostics. The introduction of NoCLs skeleton with conformation-locking feature in the center of molecular architecture indeed elevates the structural planarity and rigidity, which simultaneously promotes the absorption capacity and bathochromic-shifts the emission wavelength centered in NIR-II region. Meanwhile, the AIE tendency mainly originated from flexibly propeller-like geometry at the ends of molecular architecture eventually endows the molecule with satisfactory emission intensity and photothermal conversion in aggregates. Consequently, by utilizing the optimized molecule, unprecedented performance on NIR-II fluorescence-photoacoustic-photothermal trimodal imaging-guided photothermal-chemo synergistic therapy is demonstrated by the precise tumor diagnosis and complete tumor ablation.

Photothermal and enhanced chemodynamic reinforced anti-tumor therapy based on PDA@POM nanocomposites

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) have both demonstrated considerable efficacy in the tumor treatment individually, owing to their non-invasive nature and excellent selectivity. However, due to the propensity of tumors for metastasis and recurrence, a singular therapeutic approach falls short of achieving optimal treatment outcomes. Polydopamine (PDA) has excellent photothermal conversion ability and polyoxometalates (POMs) possess diverse enzymatic activities. Here, we synthesized PDA@POM nanospheres comprising polydopamine-coated Tungsten-based polyoxometalate (W-POM). These nanospheres leverage dual enzymatic activities that synergistically enhance both chemodynamic and photothermal therapies for tumor treatment. The PDA-mediated PTT effect enables precise tumor cell destruction, while the W-POM nanozymes catalyzes the generation of highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) from hydrogen peroxide within tumor cells through a Fenton-like reaction, which mitigates tumor hypoxia and induces tumor cell death. This synergistic photothermal catalytic therapy shows enhanced efficacy in tumor suppression, providing a promising new approach for tumor treatment.

Fabrication of a novel macrophage-targeted biomimetic delivery composite hydrogel with multiple-sensitive properties for tri-modal combination therapy of rheumatoid arthritis

In this study, a porous polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticle-decorated β-glucan microcapsules (GMs) nanoplatform (PDA/GMs) were developed with macrophage-targeted biomimetic features and a carriers-within-carriers structure. Indocyanine green (ICG) and catalase (CAT) were subsequently co-encapsulated within the PDA/GMs to create a multifunctional nanotherapeutic agent, termed CIPGs. Furthermore, CIPGs and sinomenine (SIN) were co-loaded within a thermo-sensitive hydrogel to design an injectable delivery system, termed CIPG/SH, with potential for multi-modal therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Photothermal studies indicated that the CIPGs hold excellent photothermal conversion ability and thermal stability, as they combined the photothermal performance of both PDA and ICG. Meanwhile, the CIPGs displayed favorable oxygen self-supplying and photodynamic performance. The CIPGs showed near-infrared (NIR)-induced phototoxicity, effectively inhibiting macrophage proliferation and displaying remarkable antibacterial activity. In vitro drug release from the prepared CIPG/SH showed a controlled release pattern. Animal experiments conducted on an RA mice model confirmed that the formulated CIPG/SH exhibited significant therapeutic effects. By integrating the biological advantages, photothermal/photodynamic performance of the CIPGs, and controlled drug release performance of the thermo-sensitive hydrogels in a single delivery system, the prepared injectable CIPG/SH represents a novel versatile delivery system with great potential for multi-modal combination targeting therapy in RA.

Modulating intramolecular charge transfer via π-d conjugative effect in coordination polymers toward photo-thermo-electric conversion

The prospect of harnessing sunlight to generate cost-effective heat and electricity presents a captivating opportunity to address water scarcity and electricity shortages. Photothermal materials with a broad absorption spectrum are indispensable for effectively harnessing solar energy and converting it into heat/electricity. Herein, we developed an intramolecular charge transfer strategy via conjugated effect to regulate solar absorption and photothermal conversion ability of M-DABDT (M = Fe/Co/Ni/Cu/Zn, DABDT = 2,5-diaminobenzene-1,4-dithiol), overcoming a common limitation of narrow absorption and low photothermal efficiency in traditional metal-organic assemblies. The density functional theory calculations reveal that altering transition metal ions induces the structural torsion of organic linkers, resulting in a significant change in dihedral angle from 89.96° to 2.57°. The structural change significantly facilitates the charge transfer and electron relaxation, ultimately promoting the conversion of light to heat. Under one sun irradiation, the maximum temperature of Fe-DABDT can reach approximately 92.5 ℃. More significantly, the integration of M-DABDT CPs and thermoelectric devices under normal solar irradiation results in an extraordinary open circuit voltage (238 mV) and maximum power density (364.5 μW m−2), processing a peak output voltage density of 76.9 V m−2 at 11:00 a.m. in the presence of outdoor sunlight. This strategy presents an avenue for developing metal-organic solar absorbers for photo-thermo-electric conversion systems.

Disinfection of bacteria and viruses under near infrared light by tunable self-assembled nanomaterial NH2-MIL-101-xAu based on photothermal and photodynamic mechanisms

In response to the threat posed by multi-drug resistant "superbugs", a synergistic approach of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been developed. In this work, NH2-MIL-101-xAu was prepared by introducing Au nanoparticles on the surface of NH2-MIL-101 n-type semiconductor by means of self-assembly. The introduction of Au nanoparticles greatly improves the light absorption and utilization of nanomaterials. Based on the surface plasma response (SPR), NH2-MIL-101-xAu has an efficient photothermal conversion ability, and under the irradiation of 808 nm (1 W/cm2), NH2-MIL-101–5.0Au (0.50 mg/mL) can be heated to 60℃ in 3 min. And the synergistic effect of plasma-induced interfacial charge-transfer transition and Schottky barriers dramatically enhances the photogenerated carrier separation of NH2-MIL-101-xAu, which in turn generates a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Under the experimental conditions, NH2-MIL-101-xAu with the synergistic effect of PTT and PDT had the sterilization rate of 99.99999 % against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and the inactivation rate of Bacteriophage MS2 was more than 99.9 %. This study shows that NH2-MIL-101-xAu possessing a high degree of tunability is an effective PTT and PDT synergistic means of destroying pathogens, which is very helpful in the application of eliminating drug-resistant bacteria.

Synthesis of high-value porous carbon from waste plastics and structure regulation promote solar interface water evaporation

Water scarcity and waste plastics elimination are long-term problems facing sustainable development, and solar interface evaporation to produce clean water is regarded as a promising water treatment technology. Herein, we report on low-cost waste plastic bottles synthetic carbon-based photothermal materials. By KOH activation and perforation, the surface crack structure of porous carbon is formed to facilitate multi-stage reflection of solar light, and significantly improve the solar light absorbance and photothermal conversion ability. Three-dimensional solar evaporators with low thermal conductivity and super hydrophilic wood sponge are fabricated, and the rectangular hole is designed to regulate water movement and prevent heat dissipation. When exposed to 1 sun illumination (1 kW/m2), an evaporation rate of 1.59 kg·m-2·h-1 is achieved, along with an energy conversion efficiency of 88.49 %. In addition, different micro-surface rough structures are constructed to boost the solar light absorption, thereby enhancing the photothermal conversion ability, among which the micro-cone structure increased the evaporation rate to 1.93 kg·m−2·h−1, demonstrating excellent stability over 15 cycles. In the simulated sewage purification process, the removal rate of pollutants is 99.9 %, and the evaporator without obvious salt accumulation in the seawater for 24 h, showing good salt resistance and self-cleaning ability. This research has important reference value for high-value preparation of carbon-based photothermal materials from waste plastics, extraction of clean water and environmental sustainable protection.

Portable multimodal platform with carbon nano-onions as colorimetric and fluorescent signal output for trypsin detection

Multimodal biosensors with independent signaling pathways can self-calibrate and improve the reliability of disease biomarker detection. Herein, a colorimetric-fluorescent dual-mode paper-based biosensor with PAN/Fe(III)–CNOs (FPCs) as core components has been developed, which information is recognized by smartphone and naked eye. Using 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) as a mediator, Fe(III) is enriched on the surface of carbon nano-onions (CNOs), endowing FPCs with excellent mimetic enzyme activity and photothermal conversion ability, which allows it to output amplified colorimetric signals under laser irradiation. In addition, the complexation of PAN with Fe(III) broadens its absorption spectrum, which makes FPCs more suitable to be energy acceptors to quench fluorescence of polymer dots (Pdots), resulting in the changes of output fluorescent signal. Based on the above design, a portable colorimetric-fluorescent dual-mode biosensor is proposed for trypsin detection with Pdots as fluorescence sources and FPCs as fluorescence quenchers and nanoenzymes. This work provides a convenient way for constructing portable visual multimodal biosensors, which is expected to applied in various disease diagnosis.

Development of biomass aerogels with aligned channels: For continuous treatment of oily wastewater and solar-powered oil evaporation

A biomass CS/CNTs@MTMS (MCCS) aerogel with both aligned channel network, superhydrophobicity, and photothermal conversion ability was prepared by a green and facile strategy of directed freeze-drying and chemical vapor deposition using chitosan (CS), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as the building materials. Capacity to adsorb a large variety of oils and organic solvents, with an adsorption capacity of up to 34–83 g/g. After 10 cycles, the adsorption capacity of MCCS remained at 94 % of the initial capacity, providing excellent reusability. In addition, due to its unique network of aligned channels, the MCCS can continuously separate oil and water, making it a sustainable oil–water separator. More interestingly, the MCCS aerogel has excellent photothermal conversion capabilities, and it was utilized to evaporate oil collected during the oil–water separation process using solar energy. This work provides an opportunity to design novel self-cleaning photothermally driven oil–water separation biomass materials with superhydrophobicity-strong lipophilicity.

Enhanced photothermal conversion properties of graphene aerogel surface and its application in oil spill treatment

As an environmentally friendly material, graphene aerogel has been widely studied. The photothermal conversion performance is an important property of graphene aerogel. Graphene aerogels were prepared by hydrothermal reduction method. The factors affecting its surface photothermal conversion properties were explored and graphene aerogels with ideal photothermal conversion properties were obtained. In addition, COMSOL Multiphysics simulation was carried out to further analyze the intrinsic factors affecting the photothermal properties of the materials. The prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectrometry (Raman) to obtain their physicochemical properties. UV–visible-near infrared spectrophotometer and microcomputer-controlled electronic universal testing machine were used to evaluate the light-absorbing capacity and mechanical properties of the materials. The obtained graphene aerogel can be rapidly heated up to higher than 110 °C in 8 s on its surface under simulated sunlight (1000 W·m−2) irradiation. When used for the treatment of oil spill at sea, the prepared graphene aerogel with good photothermal conversion ability can adsorb 105.61 times of its own weight of crude oil and the adsorption rate is as high as 10.56 g·g−1·min−1, which shows a broad application prospect.