Highly stable gold nanolayer membrane for efficient solar water evaporation under a harsh environment

Idris Ibrahim; Dong Han Seo; Myoung Jun Park; Alexander Angeloski; Andrew McDonagh; Avi Bendavid; Ho Kyong Shon; Leonard Tijing

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134394

Highly stable gold nanolayer membrane for efficient solar water evaporation under a harsh environment

Chemosphere. 2022 Jul:299:134394. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134394. Epub 2022 Mar 21.

Authors

Idris Ibrahim¹, Dong Han Seo², Myoung Jun Park¹, Alexander Angeloski³, Andrew McDonagh³, Avi Bendavid⁴, Ho Kyong Shon⁵, Leonard Tijing⁶

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
² Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia; Energy Materials & Devices, Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), Naju, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: dhseo@kentech.ac.kr.
³ School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, 2007, Australia.
⁴ CSIRO Manufacturing, 36 Bradfield Road, Lindfield, NSW, 2070, Australia; School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.
⁵ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia; ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia; ARC Research Hub for Nutrients in a Circular Economy, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, 15 Broadway, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: leonard.tijing@uts.edu.au.

PMID: 35331744
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134394

Abstract

Interfacial solar water evaporation has attracted tremendous attention for sunlight harvesting for water purification. However, salt formation and stability of the photothermal materials (PTMs) remain a challenge that need addressing before bringing this technology to real-world applications. In this work, a nanoscale thin film of gold (Au) on a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane has been prepared using a magnetic sputtering technique. The fabricated membrane displays a robust mechanical strength and chemical stability arising from the adhesiveness of the thin film Au nanolayer on the PTFE membrane as well as the chemical inertness of the noble metal PTM. The Au nanolayer/PTFE membrane with cellulose sponge substrate resulted in an evaporation rate of 0.88 kg m^-2 h^-1 under 1 sun intensity. Remarkable salt ion rejection of 99.9% has been obtained, meeting the required standard for drinking water. Moreover, the membrane exhibited excellent stability and reusability in natural seawater and high salinity brine (150 g/L) and even in severe conditions (acidic, basic, and oxidized). No noticeable salt formation was observed on the evaporator surface after the tests. These findings reveal promising prospects for using a magnetron sputtering technique to fabricate a stable photothermal membrane for seawater and high salinity brine desalination.

Keywords: Desalination; Gold nanolayer membrane; Harsh environment; Photothermal conversion; Reusability; Solar water evaporation.

MeSH terms

Gold
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Sunlight*
Water
Water Purification*

Substances

Water
Gold
Polytetrafluoroethylene