Ionization Engineering of Hydrogels Enables Highly Efficient Salt-Impeded Solar Evaporation and Night-Time Electricity Harvesting

Abstract

Highlights An ionization-engineered hydrogel with electronegativity polymer chains to impede salt ions was designed. The hydrogel evaporator exhibited salt impedance in 20 wt% brine for 15 days with a high evaporation efficiency of 95.6%. An all-day high-salinity brine treatment with zero liquid discharge was proposed.

Keywords

• Solar evaporation
• Hydrogel evaporators
• Salt impeding
• Ionization engineering
• Cyclic vapor-electricity generation