Integrated copper-based Janus thermal system for efficient water harvesting around the clock

Abstract

Many regions across the globe are grappling with water scarcity issues, prompting the exploration of innovative water harvesting techniques. While the development of high-performance water harvesting materials has been widely documented, these technologies often rely on a singular source with limited efficiency. This study presents a dual-functional copper Janus system that facilitates continuous freshwater harvesting by integrating seawater desalination powered by solar energy during daylight hours and fog collection during night and morning time. The Janus system consists of a copper sheet and copper foam substrate, featuring superhydrophilic pores arranged on the superhydrophobic surface, as well as superhydrophilic flake-like structures made of soot-carbon particles, which are deposited on the framework of the copper foam. The fog collection rate of this system has been measured at 210.65 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, while the solar-driven evaporation rate of seawater under 1-sun conditions is reported at 1.44 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. The fog collection and evaporation efficiency have been enhanced by 28.72% and 183.27%, respectively. Furthermore, the system demonstrates strong and consistent performance even after repeated use, ensuring sustained water collection over prolonged periods. Therefore, this study presents a promising avenue for water collection technologies and offers valuable insights for the advancement of sustainable freshwater production methods.

References

[1] Gleick PH, Cooley H. Freshwater scarcity. Annu Rev Environ Resour. 2021;46:319-348.

[2] Salehi M. Global water shortage and potable water safety;today’s concern and tomorrow’s crisis. Environ Int. 2022;158:106936.

[3] He C, Liu Z, Wu J, et al. Future global urban water scarcity and potential solutions. Nat Commun. 2021;12:4667.

[4] Li C, Yang J, Zhang L, et al. Carbon-based membrane materials and applications in water and wastewater treatment: a review. Environ Chem Lett. 2021;19:1457-1475.

[5] Sivasubramania PD, Kumar M, Kirankumar VS, Samuel MS, Dong C-D. Chang J-H. Capacitive deionization and electrosorption techniques with different electrodes for wastewater treatment applications. Desalination. 2023;559:116652.

[6] Mou Y, Yuan X, Chen H, et al. Reticular materials for wastewater treatment. J Mater Chem A. 2023;11:22631-22655.

[7] Joseph TM, Al-Hazmi HE, Śniatała B, Esmaeili A, Habibzadeh S. Nanoparticles and nanofiltration for wastewater treatment: from polluted to fresh water. Environ Res. 2023;238:117114.

[8] Wang M, Liu E, Jin T, et al. Towards a better understanding of atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology. Water Res. 2024;250:121052.

[9] Entezari A, Esan OC, Yan X, Wang R, An L. Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting: materials, components, systems, and applications. Adv Mater. 2023;35:2210957.

[10] Ji Y, Yang W, Li X, et al. Thermodynamically induced interfacial condensation for efficient fog harvesting. Small. 2023;19:2304037.

[11] Su X, Hao D, Li P, et al. Setaria viridis-inspired hydrogels with multilevel structures for efficient all-day fresh water harvesting. J Mater Chem A. 2023;11:7702-7710.

[12] Cai Y, Wu J, Shi SQ, Li J, Kim KH. Advances in desalination technology and its environmental and economic assessment. J Cleaner Prod. 2023;397:136498.

[13] Dutta S, Fernández de Luis R, Goscianska J, Demessence A, Ettlinger R, Wuttke S. Metal-organic frameworks for water desalination. Adv Funct Mater. 2024;34:2304790.

[14] Zhang D, Dai J, Liang M, et al. Thermal redox desalination of seawater driven by temperature difference. ACS Energy Lett. 2023;8:2325-2330.

[15] Wu W, Zhao M, Miao S, et al. A solar-driven interfacial evaporator for seawater desalination based on mussel-inspired superhydrophobic composite coating. Carbon. 2024;217:118593.

[16] Wang B, Zhou X, Guo Z, Liu W. Recent advances in atmosphere water harvesting: design principle, materials, devices, and applications. Nano Today. 2021;40:101283.

[17] Gao S, Wang Y, Zhang C, Jiang M, Wang S, Wang Z. Tailoring interfaces for atmospheric water harvesting: fundamentals and applications. Matter. 2023;6:2182-2205.

[18] Lu H, Shi W, Guo Y, Guan W, Lei C, Yu G. Materials engineering for atmospheric water harvesting: progress and perspectives. Adv Mater. 2022;34:2110079.

[19] Wang G, Li Y, Qiu H, Yan H, Zhou Y. High-performance and wide relative humidity passive evaporative cooling utilizing atmospheric water. Droplet. 2023;2:e32.

[20] Yu Z, Zhu T, Zhang J, Ge M, Fu S, Lai Y. Fog harvesting devices inspired from single to multiple creatures: current progress and future perspective. Adv Funct Mater. 2022;32:2200359.

[21] Kaindu JK, Murphy KR, Kowalski NG, et al. Antitangling and manufacturable Fog Harps for high-efficiency water harvesting. Droplet. 2023;2:e78.

[22] Jiang Y, Machado C, Park K-CK. From capture to transport: a review of engineered surfaces for fog collection. Droplet. 2023;2:e55.

[23] Liu Y, Zhai H, Li X, et al. High efficient fog-water harvesting via spontaneous swallowing mechanism. Nano Energy. 2022;96:107076.

[24] Li D, Fan Y, Han G, Guo Z. Multibioinspired Janus membranes with superwettable performance for unidirectional transportation and fog collection. Chem Eng J. 2021;404:126515.

[25] Guo Y, Guo Z, Liu W. Bionic multifunctional fibrous materials for efficient oil/water separation. Droplet. 2023;2:e75.

[26] Cao M, Xiao J, Yu C, Li K, Jiang L. Hydrophobic/hydrophilic cooperative Janus system for enhancement of fog collection. Small. 2015;11:4379-4384.

[27] Yan D, Chen Y, Liu J, Song J. Super-fast fog collector based on self-driven jet of mini fog droplets. Small. 2023;19:2301745.

[28] Wu J, Yan Z, Yan Y, Li C, Dai J. Beetle-inspired dual-directional Janus pumps with interfacial asymmetric wettability for enhancing fog harvesting. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2022;14:49338-49351.

[29] Xie H, Du Y, Zhou W, et al. Efficient fabrication of micro/nanostructured polyethylene/carbon nanotubes foam with robust superhydrophobicity, excellent photothermality, and sufficient adaptability for all-weather freshwater harvesting. Small. 2023;19:2300915.

[30] Zhou W, Zhou C, Deng C, et al. High-performance freshwater harvesting system by coupling solar desalination and fog collection with hierarchical porous microneedle arrays. Adv Funct Mater. 2022;32:2113264.

[31] Wu X, Lu Y, Ren X, et al. Interfacial solar evaporation: from fundamental research to applications. Adv Mater. 2024;36:2313090.

[32] Lu X, Mu C, Liu Y, Wu L, Tong Z, Huang K. Recent advances in solar-driven interfacial evaporation coupling systems: energy conversion, water purification, and seawater resource extraction. Nano Energy. 2024;120:109180.

[33] Fan X, Zhang S, Wang H, et al. A facile MXene/PPy modified asymmetry sponge solar absorber enabling efficient and high salt resistance evaporation. Chem Eng J. 2024;483:149304.

[34] Lv F, Miao J, Hu J, Orejon D. 3D solar evaporation enhancement by superhydrophilic copper foam inverted cone and graphene oxide functionalization synergistic cooperation. Small. 2023;19:2208137.

[35] Shi W, Bai H, Cao M, et al. Unidirectional moisture delivery via a Janus photothermal interface for indoor dehumidification: a smart roof. Adv Sci. 2023;10:2301421.

[36] Bai H, Wang X, Li Z, et al. Improved liquid collection on a dual-asymmetric superhydrophilic origami. Adv Mater. 2023;35:2211596.

[37] Bai H, Tian X, Zheng Y, Ju J, Zhao Y, Jiang L. Direction controlled driving of tiny water drops on bioinspired artificial spider silks. Adv Mater. 2010;48:5521-5525.

[38] Song J, Guan F, Pan W, et al. Droplet-based self-propelled miniboat. Adv Funct Mater. 2020;30:1910778.

[39] Wang H, Zhang R, Yuan D, Xu S, Wang L. Gas foaming guided fabrication of 3D porous plasmonic nanoplatform with broadband absorption, tunable shape, excellent stability, and high photothermal efficiency for solar water purification. Adv Funct Mater. 2020;30:2003995.

[40] Li Y, Shi Y, Wang H, et al. Recent advances in carbon-based materials for solar-driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation: assemblies, structures, applications, and prospective. Carbon Energy. 2023;5:e331.

[41] Miao J, Lv F, Gulfam R, Zhao W. Synergistic effect of superhydrophilic skeleton decorated with hierarchical micro/nanostructures and graphene oxide on solar evaporation. Appl Energy. 2023;350:121779.

[42] Liu M, Gan Z, Jia B, et al. Mucilage-inspired robust antifouling coatings under liquid mediums. Chem Eng J. 2022;446:136949.

[43] Yin X, Li Y, Gao R. Preparation of superhydrophobic surface on copper substrate and its corrosion resistance. J Chin Soc Corros Protect. 2021;42:93-98.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 2025 The Author(s). Droplet published by Jilin University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.