Assembling graphene aerogel hollow fibres for solar steam generation

Solar vapor generation, a cost-effective way to harvest solar energy for purifying polluted or saline water, has attracted great attention in recent years. However, during the harsh environment (e.g. high-salinity brine), challenges still remain in limited water evaporation, complicated/compromised systems between water transport, evapor area and salt accumulation. Herein, graphene aerogel hollow fibers (GAHF) are developed and assembled into a solar steam generator which demonstrates exceptionally high efficiency for water evaporation and salt rejection under sun irradiation. Inspired from the capillary water transportation system in trees, the mesophase-ordered GAHFs are spun from their liquid crystalline suspension, and subsequently assembled into a roll of unidirectionally aligned bundles and then embedded in a transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The synergistic effects between GAHFs, serving as 1D-confining micro-channels for water transport and broadband solar absorbers, and PDMS matrix, as an light refractor and “canyons”-like evaporation area, improve the water flow and absorption of solar energy and maximize the evaporation surface area. As a result, the GAHF arrays expedite remarkable transpiration, achieving continuous steam generation (∼3.29 kg m⁻² h⁻¹) and outstanding salt-rejection performance for high-salinity brine (e.g. saturated solution) desalination. This GAHF based solar steam generation system provides a facile and high-performance device for self-generating seawater desalination. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd