Dual Plasmons with Bioinspired 3D Network Structure Enabling Ultrahigh Efficient Solar Steam Generation
Plasmonic nanomaterials such as Au, Ag, and Cu are widely recognized for their strong light–matter interactions, making them promising photothermal materials for solar steam generation. However, their practical use in water evaporation is significantly limited by the trade-off between high costs and poor stability. In this regard, we introduce a novel, nonmetallic dual plasmonic TiN/MoO3–x composite. This composite features a three-dimensional, urchin-like biomimetic structure, with plasmonic TiN nanoparticles embedded within a network of plasmonic MoO3–x nanorods. As a solar absorber, the TiN/MoO3–x composite achieves a high evaporation rate of ∼2.05 kg m–2 h–1 with an energy efficiency up to 106.7% under 1 sun illumination, outperforming the state-of-the-art plasmonic systems. The high photothermal stability and unique dual plasmonic nanostructure of the TiN/MoO3–x composite are demonstrated by advanced in situ laser-heating transmission electron microscopy and photon-induced near-field electron microscopy/electron energy-loss spectroscopy, respectively. This work provides new inspiration for the design of plasmonic materials.
Authors
- Wanting He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2042-1323)
- Ting Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0631-732X)
- Peter A.C. Neathway
- Darius Pohl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4859-4325)
- Guozhu Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3976-1240)
- Yannan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7379-3385)
- Mohamed Amir Chaker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9781-8842)
- Aycan Yurtsever
- Dongling Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8558-3150)
- Z. Kalantari Bolaghi
- Chen Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1735-0819)
- Gianluigi A. Botton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8746-1146)
- Bernd Rellinghaus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1367-8545)
- Ruiqi Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8677-9243)
- Yong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8511-0097)
- Fan Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6306-4501)
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Diamond Light Source (GB)
- University of Jinan (CN)
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (CA)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- Stanford University (US)
- McMaster University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Letters
- Published
- 2024-08-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03018
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.33
Funders
- Canada Research Chairs
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies