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From plasma to plasmonics: toward sustainable and clean water production through membranes

Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering 2023, Volume 17, Issue 12, Pages 1809-1836 doi: 10.1007/s11705-023-2339-3

Abstract: The increasing demand for potable water is never-ending. Freshwater resources are scarce and stress is accumulating on other alternatives. Therefore, new technologies and novel optimization methods are developed for the existing processes. Membrane-based processes are among the most efficient methods for water treatment. Yet, membranes suffer from severe operational problems, namely fouling and temperature polarization. These effects can harm the membrane’s permeability, permeate recovery, and lifetime. To mitigate such effects, membranes can be treated through two techniques: plasma treatment (a surface modification technique), and treatment through the use of plasmonic materials (surface and bulk modification). This article showcases plasma- and plasmonic-based treatments in the context of water desalination/purification. It aims to offer a comprehensive review of the current developments in membrane-based water treatment technologies along with suggested directions to enhance its overall efficiency through careful selection of material and system design. Moreover, basic guidelines and strategies are outlined on the different membrane modification techniques to evaluate its prerequisites. Besides, we discuss the challenges and future developments about these membrane modification methods.

Keywords： water treatment membrane-based process plasma treatment plasma polymerization plasmonic light-to-heat conversion

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Photothermal materials for efficient solar powered steam generation

Fenghua Liu, Yijian Lai, Binyuan Zhao, Robert Bradley, Weiping Wu

Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering 2019, Volume 13, Issue 4, Pages 636-653 doi: 10.1007/s11705-019-1824-1

Abstract: Solar powered steam generation is an emerging area in the field of energy harvest and sustainable technologies. The nano-structured photothermal materials are able to harvest energy from the full solar spectrum and convert it to heat with high efficiency. Moreover, the materials and structures for heat management as well as the mass transportation are also brought to the forefront. Several groups have reported their materials and structures as solutions for high performance devices, a few creatively coupled other physical fields with solar energy to achieve even better results. This paper provides a systematic review on the recent developments in photothermal nanomaterial discovery, material selection, structural design and mass/heat management, as well as their applications in seawater desalination and fresh water production from waste water with free solar energy. It also discusses current technical challenges and likely future developments. This article will help to stimulate novel ideas and new designs for the photothermal materials, towards efficient, low cost practical solar-driven clean water production.

Keywords： solar stream generation plasmonics porous carbon photothermal materials solar energy conversion efficiency

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Plasmonic light trapping for enhanced light absorption in film-coupled ultrathin metamaterial thermophotovoltaic cells

Qing NI, Hassan ALSHEHRI, Yue YANG, Hong YE, Liping WANG

Frontiers in Energy 2018, Volume 12, Issue 1, Pages 185-194 doi: 10.1007/s11708-018-0522-x

Abstract: Ultrathin cells have gained increasing attention due to their potential for reduced weight, reduced cost and increased flexibility. However, the light absorption in ultrathin cells is usually very weak compared to the corresponding bulk cells. To achieve enhanced photon absorption in ultrathin thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells, this work proposed a film-coupled metamaterial structure made of nanometer-thick gallium antimonide (GaSb) layer sandwiched by a top one-dimensional (1D) metallic grating and a bottom metal film. The spectral normal absorptance of the proposed structure was calculated using the rigorous coupled-wave algorithm (RCWA) and the absorption enhancement was elucidated to be attributed to the excitations of magnetic polariton (MP), surface plasmon polariton (SPP), and Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance. The mechanisms of MP, SPP, and FP were further confirmed by an inductor-capacitor circuit model, dispersion relation, and phase shift, respectively. Effects of grating period, width, spacer thickness, as well as incidence angle were discussed. Moreover, short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage, output electric power, and conversion efficiency were evaluated for the ultrathin GaSb TPV cell with a film-coupled metamaterial structure. This work will facilitate the development of next-generation low-cost ultrathin infrared TPV cells.

Keywords： metamaterial thermophotovoltaic plasmonics light trapping selective absorption