Meng An

The lack of fresh water resources is attracting concern worldwide. Recently, to address this global issue, researchers proposed the heat localization concept for interfacial solar seawater desalination in 2014. Since then, interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) devices have attracted much attention, due to their potential for achieving highly enhanced optical‐thermal conversion through a single interface as compared with traditional solar seawater desalination. To date, the promising prospect

The exploration of advanced functional materials from natural resources is significantly important to green and sustainable development. Herein, we design an ultrafast humidity-driven bending response system using asymmetrically patterned cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/graphene oxide (GO) composite films. The CNF/GO composite films are fabricated by vacuum-assisted filtration, followed by a surface imprinting technique. The results reveal that the composite films possess excellent linear response to

Solar interface evaporators for desalination have gained a growing research interest due to its potential for sustainable water production. However, an efficient balance in performance for heat management, water transport, and salt tolerance and rejection is rather difficult to achieve in actual applications. Inspired by the vascular bundles arranged in order in parenchyma cells of seagrass, this study reports the vertical arrangement of 3D aerogel formed by the hybridization of sodium alginate

Abstract Hydrophilic acrylamide‐based hydrogels are emerging platforms for numerous applications, but the resources to fully exploit these materials are currently limited. A deep understanding of the molecular‐level structure/property relationships in hydrogels is crucial to progressing these efforts. Such relationships can be challenging to elucidate on the basis of experimental data alone. Here, molecular simulations are used as a complementary strategy to reveal the molecular‐level phenomena

Solar vapor generation (SVG) is one of the most promising strategies for addressing the freshwater shortage crisis. However, fewer existing solar evaporators combine excellent evaporation rates, salt resistance, and large-scale production potential, which are the keys to realizing industrialization. Herein, we prepare sodium alginate/reduced graphene oxide (SA/rGO) hydrogel fibers with complex nano-network structures and introduce a novel compact hydrogel fiber fabric (HFF-C) evaporator by integ

Ion-molecular engineered negative-thermovoltage cellulose ionogel overcoming the trade-off mechanical strength and conductivity.

Emerging water purification technology, known as interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG), has been rapidly developing in recent years. ISSG offers a promising solution to address both freshwater shortage and energy demand by simultaneously producing freshwater and electricity. This is achieved through the combination of microporous films and highly efficient photothermal materials. In this study, we have developed a composite film using a 2D material, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and a combin

In recent years, the development of multi-functional supercapacitors with high flexibility and strong environmental adaptability has gradually become a focus of attention.

Abstract By virtue of reversible energy dissipation and good ionic conductivity, metal ions have been extensively introduced to construct hydrogels. However, the traditional soaking method to prepare metal ions coordination hydrogels (MI‐HG) faces the challenge of diffusion and combination of metal ions, leading to weak mechanical properties. Inspired by the leather mineral tanning mechanism, a strategy that controls the accessibility of hydrogels by pickling and basifying processes thus signifi