Carbon dots have a wide range of applications in biological and medical fields as an alternative to quantum dots because of their low toxicity and excellent luminescence properties. To date, a large ...number of carbon dots have been prepared and they were consequently reviewed according to their synthetic method, luminescence properties and related applications. The dispersibility of carbon dots in aqueous and/or organic solvents could actually play a significant role in the properties and various application fields, however, such a perspective is ignored by most of the reviewed literature studies. Thus in this minireview, we focus on the surfactant groups of carbon dots which could be classified as hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic types. They have accordingly a marked impact on the dispersibility of carbon dots in different solvents as well as the further advantage in those imaging studies
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Carbon dots have a wide range of applications in biological and medical fields as an alternative to quantum dots because of their low toxicity and excellent luminescence properties.
Photothermal materials with broad solar absorption and high conversion efficiency have recently attracted significant interest. They are becoming a fast-growing research focus in the area of ...solar-driven vaporization for clean water production. The parallel development of thermal management strategies through both material and system designs has further improved the overall efficiency of solar vaporization. Collectively, this green solar-driven water vaporization technology has regained attention as a sustainable solution for water scarcity. In this review, we will report the recent progress in solar absorber material design based on various photothermal conversion mechanisms, evaluate the prerequisites in terms of optical, thermal and wetting properties for efficient solar-driven water vaporization, classify the systems based on different photothermal evaporation configurations and discuss other correlated applications in the areas of desalination, water purification and energy generation. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on the current development in efficient photothermal evaporation, and suggest directions to further enhance its overall efficiency through the judicious choice of materials and system designs, while synchronously capitalizing waste energy to realize concurrent clean water and energy production.
This comprehensive review provides a guide to design photothermal materials and systems for solar-driven water evaporation addressing the water-energy nexus.
Solar vaporization has received tremendous attention for its potential in desalination, sterilization, distillation, etc. However, a few major roadblocks toward practical application are the high ...cost, process intensive, fragility of solar absorber materials, and low efficiency. Herein an inexpensive cellular carbon sponge that has a broadband light absorption and inbuilt structural features to perform solitary heat localization for in situ photothermic vaporization is reported. The defining advantages of elastic cellular porous sponge are that it self‐confines water to the perpetually hot spots and accommodates cyclical dynamic fluid flow‐volume variable stress for practical usage. By isolating from bulk water, the solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency is increased by 2.5‐fold, surpassing that of conventional bulk heating. Notably, complementary solar steam generation‐induced electricity can be harvested during the solar vaporization so as to capitalize on waste heat. Such solar distillation and waste heat‐to‐electricity generation functions may provide potential opportunities for on‐site electricity and fresh water production for remote areas/emergency needs.
An elastic cellular carbon sponge with a broadband light absorption and inbuilt structural features performs solitary heat localization for in situ photothermic vaporization. The defining advantages of the sponge are that it self‐confines water to the perpetually hot spots and accommodates cyclical dynamic fluid flow‐volume variable stress for practical usage. The complementary solar steam‐induced electricity can be harvested during the vaporization.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Purely organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have aroused increasing interests in recent years and have been widely applied in anti‐counterfeiting, biological imaging, sensing, ...etc. Currently, these materials can be efficiently developed in crystalline states and amorphous polymer‐doped systems. However, achieving organic RTP in solution, especially in water solution, is still a formidable challenge. Recently, reports on aqueous phase RTP have been increasing and some feasible design strategies have been proposed; however, related investigations are still limited and there is a lack of systematic reviews. Therefore, we summarized the recent cases of aqueous phase organic RTP emission with primarily focusing on the RTP properties and efficient design strategies (e.g., forming nanoparticles from phosphorescent molecules and macrocyclic supramolecular assembly). Moreover, promising applications of the aqueous phase organic RTP emission in bio‐imaging and sensing were discussed. Some detailed perspectives concerning materials design and application were provided with the hope to provide inspiration for the future development of aqueous phase organic RTP.
Graphical . Purely organic room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials have aroused increasing interests; however, achieving aqueous phase organic RTP emission is still a formidable challenge. This review summarizes the recent advances of organic materials with RTP emission in aqueous solution, primarily focusing on the efficient design strategies and their promising applications in bio‐imaging and sensing, with the hope to provide inspiration for aqueous phase organic RTP materials.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Solar‐driven interfacial vaporization by localizing solar‐thermal energy conversion to the air–water interface has attracted tremendous attention due to its high conversion efficiency for water ...purification, desalination, energy generation, etc. However, ineffective integration of hybrid solar thermal devices and poor material compliance undermine extensive solar energy exploitation and practical outdoor use. Herein, a 3D organic bucky sponge that has a combination of desired chemical and physical properties, i.e., broadband light absorbing, heat insulative, and shape‐conforming abilities that render efficient photothermic vaporization and energy generation with improved operational durability is reported. The highly compressible and readily reconfigurable solar absorber sponge not only places less constraints on footprint and shape defined fabrication process but more importantly remarkably improves the solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency. Notably, synergetic coupling of solar‐steam and solar‐electricity technologies is realized without trade‐offs, highlighting the practical consideration toward more impactful solar heat exploitation. Such solar distillation and low‐grade heat‐to‐electricity generation functions can provide potential opportunities for fresh water and electricity supply in off‐grid or remote areas.
Organic solar absorber sponge with a broadband light absorption and inbuilt cellular structure performs efficient interfacial photothermic vaporization. The solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency can be remarkably enhanced by compressing or isolating from bulk water. In addition, the complementary thermoelectric power generation induced by solar heat stored in the sponge can be achieved during the solar vaporization.
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Solar energy is a major source of renewable energy with the potential to meet the energy demand and to support the sustainable development of the world. The efficient harvesting and conversion of ...solar energy is one of the key factors to maximize the utilization of solar energy. In general, solar energy can be harnessed and converted into various kinds of energy, including electricity, fuels and thermal energy, through photovoltaic, photochemical and photothermal processes, respectively. Among these technologies, photothermal conversion is a direct conversion process that has attained the highest achievable conversion efficiency. The photothermal effect has been used as a novel strategy to augment vaporization and catalysis performance. In this review, we look into the basis of the photothermal conversion process, the design of efficient photothermal conversion materials in terms of both light harvesting and thermal management, a fundamental understanding of various system schemes, and the recent progress in photothermal evaporation and catalysis applications. This review aims to afford researchers with a better understanding of the photothermal effect and provide a guide for the rational design and development of highly efficient photothermal materials in energy and environmental fields.
Solar-driven photothermal conversion by nanostructured materials is a direct solar energy conversion process that has been used as a novel strategy to augment vaporization and catalysis performance.
Plasmonic nanoparticles with outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency are promising for solar vaporization. However, the high cost and the required intense light excitation of noble metals, ...hinder their practical application. Herein, an inexpensive 3D plasmonic solar absorber gel that embraces all the desirable optical, thermal, and wetting properties for efficient solar vaporization is reported. The broadband absorption and strong near‐field intertip enhancement of the sparsely dispersed gold nanoflowers contribute to efficient light‐to‐heat conversion, while the macro‐nano thermal insulative silica gel retains and channels the plasmonic heat directly to the water pathways contained within the porous gel. The plasmonic‐based solar absorber gel shows a vaporization efficiency of 85% under solar irradiation of 1 sun intensity (1 kW m−2). Moreover, the porous gel framework exhibits high mechanical stability and antifouling properties, potentially useful for polluted/turbid water evaporation. Complementary water condensation‐induced triboelectricity can be harvested alongside fresh water condensate, granting simultaneous fresh water production and electricity generation functionalities. The facile sol‐gel synthesis at room temperature makes the solar absorber gel highly adaptable for practical large‐scale photothermal applications.
Plasmonic solar absorber gel is synthesized for efficient vaporization and triboelectric energy generation. The gold nanoflowers exhibit strong near‐field intertip enhancement and broadband absorption promotes efficient light‐to‐heat conversion. The network of silica gel allows for heat channeling directly to water pathways contained within the porous gel. Condensation collection allows for triboelectricity generation, complementing fresh water production.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Visualized sensing through fluorescence signals is a powerful method for chemical and physical detection. However, the utilization of fluorescent molecular probes still suffers from lack of precise ...signal self-calibration in practical use. Here we show that fluorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence can be simultaneously produced at the single-molecular level. The thermally activated delayed fluorescence serves as a sensing signal with its wavelength and lifetime both altered correlating to polarity, whereas the fluorescence always remains unchanged as an internal reference. Upon the establishment of a three-dimensional working curve upon the ratiometric wavelength and photoluminescence lifetime vs. polarity, disturbance factors during a relevant sensing process can be largely minimized by such a multiple self-calibration. This strategy was further applied into a precise detection of the microenvironmental polarity variation in complex phospholipid systems, towards providing new insights for convenient and accurate diagnosis of membrane lesions.
Harvesting of prevalent low grade solar heat from otherwise wasted energy has received tremendous attention. However, extensive and continuous conversion remains challenging due to distributed nature ...of heat, limited temperature difference with the surroundings, ambient solar heat fluctuation, and night time period of darkness. Herein, a hybrid thermogalvanic and pyroelectric generator for multisituation structured/unstructured, static/dynamic, and day/night waste heat harnessing for continuous operation is reported. Powered by versatile thermal energy harvesting strategies, the hybrid photothermal generator is able to provide a more resilient and adaptive energy system to meet diversified energy demand, irrespective of unpredictable conditions. Taking advantage of the superior photothermal properties and electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes/cellulose nanocrystals nanocomposite, together with the heat localization effect induced by sponge‐confined electrolyte, simultaneous high thermogalvanic and pyroelectric performance is achieved with maximum outputs of 1.86 and 0.9 mW m−2, respectively. Moreover, a scaled‐up hybrid photothermal generator is successfully deployed on both land and water surfaces under natural sunlight, and also the feasibility of nighttime operation is verified. Such hybrid photothermal generators presented here offer an all‐day clean energy solution as well as a feasible and cost‐effective alternative to capitalize on solar energy and blue energy.
A hybrid photothermal generator consisting of a thermocell and a pyroelectric generator performs multisituation waste heat harvesting for continuous operation irrespective of unpredictable conditions and day/night alteration.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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