Cellulose-Based Aerogels with Photocatalytic Function for Solar Steam Generation

Solar steam generation is considered an efficient, renewable, and environmentally friendly technology for clean freshwater production, offering the potential to alleviate the growing global water scarcity issue. Herein, the commercial cellulose is used as raw material and water transport matrix, and silver phosphate particles are used as difunctional light-absorbing matters and photocatalyst to prepare cellulose-based composite material (silver-plated cellulose aerogel [CA-Ag]). The resulting CA-Ag possesses superhydrophilicity, intrinsic network structure, high porosity (89.88%), and low thermal conductivity (0.091 W m-1 K-1). As a result, the CA-Ag exhibits an evaporation rate of nearly 1.55 kg m-2 h-1 in simulated seawater under a light intensity of 1 kW m-2. Furthermore, due to the excellent photocatalytic properties of silver phosphate particles, the CA-Ag can simultaneously achieve high degradation rates toward various dye molecules including methylene blue, rhodamine B, and methyl orange in water, making it show tremendous potential applications for clean freshwater production and organic wastewater treatment. Silver-plated cellulose aerogel (CA-Ag) is made from commercial fibers by a simple freeze-drying technique after loading silver phosphate particles as composite photocatalyst and solar evaporator. CA-Ag has superhydrophilicity, high porosity, and low thermal conductivity. The evaporation rate of CA-Ag is close to 1.55 kg m-2 h-1 in simulated seawater. In addition, CA-Ag can degrade organic dye wastewater by photocatalysis.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH