Organismal adaptation to a new environment may start with plastic phenotypic changes followed by genetic changes, but whether the plastic changes are stepping stones to genetic adaptation is debated. ...Here we address this question by investigating gene expression and metabolic flux changes in the two-phase adaptation process using transcriptomic data from multiple experimental evolution studies and computational metabolic network analysis, respectively. We discover that genetic changes more frequently reverse than reinforce plastic phenotypic changes in virtually every adaptation. Metabolic network analysis reveals that, even in the presence of plasticity, organismal fitness drops after environmental shifts, but largely recovers through subsequent evolution. Such fitness trajectories explain why plastic phenotypic changes are genetically compensated rather than strengthened. In conclusion, although phenotypic plasticity may serve as an emergency response to a new environment that is necessary for survival, it does not generally facilitate genetic adaptation by bringing the organismal phenotype closer to the new optimum.
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.
Capturing solar energy for thermal conversion in a highly efficient manner for steam‐electricity cogeneration is particularly opportune in the context of optimal solar energy utilization for ...concurrent water‐energy harvesting. Herein, an integrative photothermal evaporator/thermogalvanic cell with the desired optical, heat, water, and electrochemical management for synergistic steam‐electricity production is reported. Versatile layer by‐layer assembly is employed to integrate a hydrogel/metal‐oxide/polymer into a multilayer film with individually addressable thickness, composition, and structure. As such, the ultimate integrative multilayer film cell demonstrates a unified high surface area and conductive electrodes, broadband absorption, rapid water suction‐ion exchange, and thermal insulation properties. Thus, the designed cell immensely suppresses heat losses, achieving a high solar thermal conversion efficiency of 91.4% and maximum power outputs of ≈1.6 mW m−2. Additionally, the self‐floating, deformable, modular integral device presents appealing attributes such as salt‐rejection for viable seawater desalination, high mechanical stability, and resilience to demanding operating conditions, and configurable on‐demand/point‐of‐use tandem structure to maximize clean water and power generation value per area. This integrated strategy may provide prospective opportunities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and freshwater inputs and solutions for renewable and decentralized clean water and electricity.
A photothermal steam and electricity cogeneration system with modular deformable features is fabricated by integrating an evaporator and thermogalvanic cell for comprehensive utilization of renewable solar energy. The collective photothermal, water, electrochemical, and self‐restoring redox requirements are optimized by adjusting layer‐by‐layer assembly of polyacrylamide, PDMS, and CuO/Cu foil into a sandwich structure.
The fast development of nanoscience and nanotechnology has significantly advanced the fabrication of nanocatalysts and the in‐depth study of the structural‐activity characteristics of materials at ...the atomic level. Vacancies, as typical atomic defects or imperfections that widely exist in solid materials, are demonstrated to effectively modulate the physicochemical, electronic, and catalytic properties of nanomaterials, which is a key concept and hot research topic in nanochemistry and nanocatalysis. The recent experimental and theoretical progresses achieved in the preparation and application of vacancy‐rich nanocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting are explored. Engineering of vacancies has shown to open up a new avenue beyond the traditional morphology, size, and composition modifications for the development of nonprecious electrocatalysts toward efficient energy conversion. First, an introduction followed by discussions of different types of vacancies, the approaches to create vacancies, and the advanced techniques widely used to characterize these vacancies are presented. Importantly, the correlations between the vacancies and activities of the vacancy‐rich electrocatalysts via tuning the electronic states, active sites, and kinetic energy barriers are reviewed. Finally, perspectives on the existing challenges along with some opportunities for the further development of vacancy‐rich noble metal‐free electrocatalysts with high performance are discussed.
Recent experimental and theoretical achievements in vacancy‐rich transition‐metal‐based electrocatalysis for water splitting are reviewed, which include the vacancy types, synthetic approaches, and advanced techniques to characterize the vacancies. Importantly, the functions of vacancies in tuning the electronic states, active sites, and kinetic energy barriers of electrocatalysts are summarized. Finally, some perspectives of the future research in vacancy‐rich electrocatalysis are discussed.
A significant methodology gap remains in the construction of advanced electrocatalysts, which has collaborative defective functionalities and structural coherence that maximizes electrochemical redox ...activity, electrical conductivity, and mass transport characteristics. Here, a coordinative self‐templated pseudomorphic transformation of an interpenetrated metal organic compound network is conceptualized into a defect‐rich porous framework that delivers highly reactive and durable photo(electro)chemical energy conversion functionalities. The coordinative‐template approach enables previously inaccessible synthesis routes to rationally accomplish an interconnected porous conductive network at the microscopic level, while exposing copious unsaturated reactive sites at the atomic level without electronic or structural integrity trade‐offs. Consequently, porous framework, interconnected motifs, and engineered defects endow remarkable electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction activity due to intrinsically improved turnover frequency, electrochemical surface area, and charge transfer. Moreover, when the hybrid is coupled with a silicon photocathode for solar‐driven water splitting, it enables photon assisted redox reactions, improved charge separation, and enhanced carrier transport via the built‐in heterojunction and additive co‐catalyst functionality, leading to a promising photo(electro)chemical hydrogen generation performance. This work signifies a viable and generic approach to prepare other functional interconnected metal organic coordinated compounds, which can be exploited for diverse energy storage, conversion, or environmental applications.
A defect‐rich porous selenide‐based framework is obtained from an interpenetrated Prussian blue analog network. The resulting structure displays an interconnected porous conductive network at the microscopic level and exposes excess reactive crystal boundary defects in the form of unsaturated atoms at the edges and interfaces at the atomic level. It delivers highly reactive and durable photo(electro)chemical energy conversion functionalities.
Desalination processes often require large amounts of energy to create clean water, and vice versa for the generation of energy. This interdependence creates a tension between the two essential ...resources. Current research focuses on one or the other, which exacerbates water‐energy stress, while few tackle both issues jointly. Herein, a low‐carbon technology, H2O–H2 co‐generation system that enables concurrent steady freshwater and clean energy output is reported. The water‐energy coupled technology features a spectrally and thermally managed solar harvesting gel for photoredox and photoheating effects. This photothermal catalytic gel exploits interfacial solar heating for heat confinement, and localized plasmonic heating at the catalyst active sites to remarkably improve water and hydrogen production, thus maximizing energy value per area. To this end, a stand‐alone renewable solar desalination system is successfully demonstrated for parallel production of freshwater and hydrogen under natural sunlight. By doing so, the water–energy nexus is transformed into a synergistic bond that offers opportunities to better meet expected demand rather than acting in competition.
A spectrally and thermally managed solar harvesting gel for consequential photoredox and photoheating effects enables synergistic water and hydrogen production. The integration of the H2O–H2 cogeneration system allows low‐grade heat to be used to treat high salinity feedwater for simultaneous energy and water generation, thus resolving the tension of the water‐energy nexus.
ENSO's atmospheric teleconnections drive anomalous North Pacific sea surface temperatures through changes in surface heat fluxes (“the atmospheric bridge”). Previous research focusing on the bridge ...as a seasonal phenomenon did not consider how ENSO‐related changes in synoptic variability might also impact surface turbulent heat fluxes (STHF). In this study, we find that while well over half of ENSO's impact on STHF occurs on low‐frequency (>8 days) time scales, up to 20% of its impact arises on high‐frequency (<8 days) time scales, through changes in the covariance between surface wind speed and air‐sea enthalpy difference that typically warms the ocean south of the storm track. During El Niño, the North Pacific storm track and its attendant sea surface warming shift southward, reducing warming of the central North Pacific ocean and thereby enhancing the bridge signal there. Additionally, changes in the bulk formula coefficients between ENSO phases drive STHF differences (5%–10%).
Plain Language Summary
The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has global impacts through teleconnections, which can influence the underlying ocean via the “atmospheric bridge.” The atmospheric bridge results in upward surface heat flux and colder sea surface temperature (SST) over the central North Pacific and downward surface heat flux and warmer SST along the coast of North America during El Niño winters. While previous research has studied the influence of longer timescale features on this bridge‐related surface heat flux pattern, the corresponding impact of shorter timescale variability remains unexplored. We find that while longer timescales (>8 days) dominate, shorter timescale influence on the fluxes is non‐negligible. Shorter timescale variability warms the ocean south of the track of North Pacific storms. This warming contribution shifts with the storm location between the two ENSO phases. While the resulting difference between ENSO phases is small, it is mostly aligned with the total surface turbulent heat flux (STHF) difference between El Niño and La Niña. Also, the bulk formula coefficients used to compute the fluxes vary, leading to 5%–10% of the STHF difference between ENSO phases. In summary, the contribution of shorter timescale variability and coefficient changes to the North Pacific bridge‐related STHF is small but non‐negligible.
Key Points
While seasonal variability dominates ENSO‐related surface turbulent heat fluxes over the North Pacific, synoptic effects are non‐negligible
ENSO‐related storm track shift affects the high‐frequency contribution to the turbulent heat fluxes
Differences in the bulk formula coefficient between two ENSO phases have a small but non‐negligible influence on the surface heat fluxes
Using readily available renewable resources, i.e. solar energy and seawater, to secure sustainable fuel and freshwater for humanity is an impactful quest. Here, we have designed solar thermal ...collector nanocomposites (SiO2/AgatTiO2 core-shell) that possess efficient photothermic properties for highly targeted interfacial phase transition reactions that are synergistically favorable for both seawater catalysis and desalination reactions. The photothermic effect arising from plasmonic metal nanoparticles causes localized interfacial heating which directly triggers surface-dominated catalysis and steam generation processes, with minimal heat losses, reduced thermal masses and optics implementation. The solar thermal collector nanocomposites are seawater/photo stable for practical solar conversion of seawater to simultaneously produce clean energy and water. Finally, a proof-of-concept all-in-one compact solar hydrogen and distillate production prototype demonstrates the viability of sustainable photothermic driven catalysis and desalination of seawater under natural sunlight. Importantly, this approach holds great promise for enhancing energy and water productivity without considerable capital, infrastructure and environmental ramifications.
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.
Fabrication of ultrathin 2D nonlayered nanomaterials remains challenging, yet significant due to the new promises in electrochemical functionalities. However, current strategies are largely ...restricted to intrinsically layered materials. Herein, a combinatorial self‐regulating acid etching and topotactic transformation strategy is developed to unprecedentedly prepare vertically stacked ultrathin 2D nonlayered nickel selenide nanosheets. Due to the inhibited hydrolyzation under acidic conditions, the self‐regulating acid etching results in ultrathin layered nickel hydroxides (two layers). The ultrathin structure allows limited epitaxial extension during selenization, i.e., the nondestructive topotactic transformation, enabling facile artificial engineering of hydroxide foundation frameworks into ultrathin nonlayered selenides. Consequently, the exquisite nonlayered nickel selenide affords high turnover frequencies, electrochemical surface areas, exchange current densities, and low Tafel slopes, as well as facilitating charge transfer toward both oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions. Thus, the kinetically favorable bifunctional electrocatalyst delivers advanced and robust overall water splitting activities in alkaline intermediates. The integrated methodology may open up a new pathway for designing other highly active 2D nonlayered electrocatalysts.
Ultrathin 2D nonlayered NiSe nanosheets with a thickness of 1.25 nm are synthesized via a nondestructive topotactic selenization from their unconventional acid‐etched ultrathin layered Ni(OH)2 counterparts. The ultrathin character of the nanosheets is responsible for the intact selenization transformation, leading to advanced bifunctional oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic activities in alkaline intermediates.
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