Thin film technology for solar steam generation: A new dawn

Abstract The sun is considered as the most promising abundant renewable energy source that can be exploited to solve many of human beings’ challenges such as energy and water scarcity. Solar energy can be utilized in steam and vapor generation processes which has a great importance in many engineering applications such as water desalination, domestic water heating, and power generation. However, dilute solar flux (∼1000 W/m2) cannot supply the absorber with enough power required to overcome water latent heat of vaporization to evaporate water. Optical concentrators such as parabolic trough collector, parabolic dish reflector, and circular Fresnel lens can be used to concentrate the solar radiation to achieve the required power however they suffer from complexity and high cost. Moreover, the efficiency of the conventional solar desalination devices such as solar stills decreases dramatically with increasing bulk water quantity, due to the heat loss to bulk water. Therefore, the need to solar steam generation (SG) devices, that localize heating on a thin layer of water rather than the water bulk, arises. Thin film technology has shown promising progress in SG in which solar energy is utilized to wastewater desalination. The past five years have seen a significant surge in the development of thin film based SG devices. In this review, recently developed thin film-based SG devices are scrutinized with respect to their physical mechanisms, fabrication methods, structure, advantages, and disadvantages. Different types of thin-film materials, including: metal-based nanoparticles, metal oxides, carbon-based materials, polymers, etc.; as well as different substrates materials, including: wood, paper, cotton fabric, carbon fabric, polystyrene foam, and gauze, have been discussed. Moreover, different preparation and synthetization methods of the steam generation devices have been discussed. Suggestions for future research directions are also presented.

[1]  Lianbin Zhang,et al.  Self-Floating Carbon Nanotube Membrane on Macroporous Silica Substrate for Highly Efficient Solar-Driven Interfacial Water Evaporation , 2016 .

[2]  R. Naik,et al.  Wood-Graphene Oxide Composite for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation and Desalination. , 2017, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[3]  U. Krull,et al.  Localized surface plasmon resonance: nanostructures, bioassays and biosensing--a review. , 2011, Analytica chimica acta.

[4]  M. Lieberman,et al.  Functionalized Graphene Enables Highly Efficient Solar Thermal Steam Generation. , 2017, ACS nano.

[5]  Assia Cherfa,et al.  A technical–economical study of solar desalination , 2016 .

[6]  Ahmed A. Askalany,et al.  Adsorption desalination-cooling system employing copper sulfate driven by low grade heat sources , 2018 .

[7]  Ho-Suk Choi,et al.  Carbon‐Based Sunlight Absorbers in Solar‐Driven Steam Generation Devices , 2018, Global challenges.

[8]  Alibakhsh Kasaeian,et al.  A review on solar chimney systems , 2017 .

[9]  Xiaogang Zhang,et al.  Titanium Dioxide/Germanium Core–Shell Nanorod Arrays Grown on Carbon Textiles as Flexible Electrodes for High Density Lithium‐Ion Batteries , 2015 .

[10]  Wenshan Cai,et al.  3D self-assembly of aluminium nanoparticles for plasmon-enhanced solar desalination , 2016, Nature Photonics.

[11]  Mohamed A. A. Abdelkareem,et al.  Novel approach of the graphene nanolubricant for energy saving via anti-friction/wear in automobile engines , 2018, Tribology International.

[12]  A. H. Elsheikh,et al.  Review on applications of particle swarm optimization in solar energy systems , 2018, International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.

[13]  Xianbao Wang,et al.  Black titania/graphene oxide nanocomposite films with excellent photothermal property for solar steam generation , 2018 .

[14]  E. Coronado,et al.  The Optical Properties of Metal Nanoparticles: The Influence of Size, Shape, and Dielectric Environment , 2003 .

[15]  Liangbing Hu,et al.  Graphene oxide-based evaporator with one-dimensional water transport enabling high-efficiency solar desalination , 2017 .

[16]  Ümmühan Başaran Filik,et al.  Estimation methods of global solar radiation, cell temperature and solar power forecasting: A review and case study in Eskişehir , 2018, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

[17]  Ki‐Hyun Kim,et al.  Hybrid porous thin films: Opportunities and challenges for sensing applications. , 2018, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[18]  O. N. Oliveira,et al.  Carbon-Based Nanomaterials , 2017 .

[19]  Tinglian Yuan,et al.  Studying the electrochemistry of single nanoparticles with surface plasmon resonance microscopy , 2017 .

[20]  Xuan Wu,et al.  A Plant‐Transpiration‐Process‐Inspired Strategy for Highly Efficient Solar Evaporation , 2017 .

[21]  T. Nagao,et al.  All-Ceramic Microfibrous Solar Steam Generator: TiN Plasmonic Nanoparticle-Loaded Transparent Microfibers , 2017 .

[22]  James Loomis,et al.  Solar steam generation by heat localization , 2014, Nature Communications.

[23]  Lei Shi,et al.  Recyclable Fe3O4@CNT nanoparticles for high-efficiency solar vapor generation , 2017 .

[24]  Chin-Hsiang Cheng,et al.  Fe2O3 films on stainless steel for solar absorbers , 2016 .

[25]  Shining Zhu,et al.  Graphene oxide-based efficient and scalable solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path , 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[26]  Z. Cai,et al.  Bifunctional Fabric with Photothermal Effect and Photocatalysis for Highly Efficient Clean Water Generation , 2018, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

[27]  P. Jain,et al.  Calculated absorption and scattering properties of gold nanoparticles of different size, shape, and composition: applications in biological imaging and biomedicine. , 2006, The journal of physical chemistry. B.

[28]  Jasmina Vidic,et al.  Pure and multi metal oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, antibacterial and cytotoxic properties , 2016, Journal of Nanobiotechnology.

[29]  Aliakbar Akbarzadeh,et al.  An experimental review on coupling of solar pond with membrane distillation , 2015 .

[30]  Muhammad Wakil Shahzad,et al.  Sustainable desalination using ocean thermocline energy , 2018 .

[31]  S. Sharshir,et al.  Low-cost high-efficiency solar steam generator by combining thin film evaporation and heat localization: Both experimental and theoretical study , 2018, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[32]  K. S. Siddiqi,et al.  Fabrication of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles by Algae and their Toxic Effects , 2016, Nanoscale Research Letters.

[33]  O. Chauvet,et al.  Polypyrrole coated magnetite nanoparticles from water based nanofluids , 2008 .

[34]  A. D. Risi,et al.  Optical absorption measurements of oxide nanoparticles for application as nanofluid in direct absorption solar power systems – Part II: ZnO, CeO2, Fe2O3 nanoparticles behavior , 2016 .

[35]  A. Kabeel,et al.  Energy and exergy analysis of solar stills with micro/nano particles: A comparative study , 2018, Energy Conversion and Management.

[36]  Ravishankar Sathyamurthy,et al.  A Review of integrating solar collectors to solar still , 2017 .

[37]  Mohammad Rahnama,et al.  Performance optimization of a multi stage flash desalination unit with thermal vapor compression using genetic algorithm , 2017 .

[38]  Lei Chen,et al.  Mixed mode operation for the Solar Aided Power Generation , 2018, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[39]  Gang Wang,et al.  Super-hydrophilic copper sulfide films as light absorbers for efficient solar steam generation under one sun illumination , 2018 .

[40]  Peter Nordlander,et al.  Aluminum for plasmonics. , 2014, ACS nano.

[41]  Kamaruzzaman Sopian,et al.  Factors affecting basin type solar still productivity: A detailed review , 2014 .

[42]  Pietro Ferraro,et al.  Graphene and carbon black nano-composite polymer absorbers for a pyro-electric solar energy harvesting device based on LiNbO3 crystals , 2014 .

[43]  B. Bruggen,et al.  Atmospheric plasma coatings for membrane distillation , 2018 .

[44]  Kunli Goh,et al.  Membranes and processes for forward osmosis-based desalination: Recent advances and future prospects , 2017 .

[45]  C. Murphy,et al.  Anisotropic metal nanoparticles: Synthesis, assembly, and optical applications. , 2005, The journal of physical chemistry. B.

[46]  H. Ghasemi,et al.  A flexible anti-clogging graphite film for scalable solar desalination by heat localization , 2017 .

[47]  Eric Hu,et al.  Concentrating or non-concentrating solar collectors for solar Aided Power Generation? , 2017 .

[48]  Swellam W. Sharshir,et al.  Applications of nanofluids in solar energy: A review of recent advances , 2018 .

[49]  Takeshi Fujita,et al.  Multifunctional Porous Graphene for High‐Efficiency Steam Generation by Heat Localization , 2015, Advanced materials.

[50]  Zhonghao Rao,et al.  High-performance solar steam generation of a paper-based carbon particle system , 2018, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[51]  G. Zalidis,et al.  Evaluation of an alternative method for wastewater treatment containing pesticides using solar photocatalytic oxidation and constructed wetlands. , 2017, Journal of environmental management.

[52]  Mohamed Fathy,et al.  Experimental study on the effect of coupling parabolic trough collector with double slope solar still on its performance , 2018 .

[53]  Matthias Wessling,et al.  Selectivity of ion exchange membranes: A review , 2018, Journal of Membrane Science.

[54]  Gang Chen,et al.  Steam generation under one sun enabled by a floating structure with thermal concentration , 2016, Nature Energy.

[55]  Surface plasmon resonance enhanced light absorption and wavelength tuneable in gold-coated iron oxide spherical nanoparticle , 2018, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials.

[56]  Swellam W. Sharshir,et al.  Enhancing the solar still performance using nanofluids and glass cover cooling: Experimental study , 2017 .

[57]  A.L. Ahmad,et al.  Progress in the modification of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for enhanced performance , 2018, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.

[58]  Gang Wang,et al.  Accessible Graphene Aerogel for Efficiently Harvesting Solar Energy , 2017 .

[59]  Mervyn Smyth,et al.  Global applicability of solar desalination , 2016 .

[60]  Xiaojun Quan,et al.  The impact of surface chemistry on the performance of localized solar-driven evaporation system , 2015, Scientific Reports.

[61]  Moyuan Cao,et al.  Floatable, Self-Cleaning, and Carbon-Black-Based Superhydrophobic Gauze for the Solar Evaporation Enhancement at the Air-Water Interface. , 2015, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[62]  Y. Zhong,et al.  Scalable production of graphene via wet chemistry: progress and challenges , 2015 .

[63]  D. Wen,et al.  Steam generation in a nanoparticle-based solar receiver , 2016 .

[64]  D. Prince Winston,et al.  Comparative study of an inclined solar panel basin solar still in passive and active mode , 2018, Solar Energy.

[65]  Swellam W. Sharshir,et al.  Thermal performance and exergy analysis of solar stills – A review , 2017 .

[66]  I. Dobrosz-Gómez,et al.  Optimization of solar-driven photo-electro-Fenton process for the treatment of textile industrial wastewater , 2018, Journal of Water Process Engineering.

[67]  Xiaolin Wang,et al.  Development of a water-injected twin-screw compressor for mechanical vapor compression desalination systems , 2016 .

[68]  Ahmed A. Askalany Innovative mechanical vapor compression adsorption desalination (MVC-AD) system , 2016 .

[69]  Jun Zhou,et al.  Robust and Low-Cost Flame-Treated Wood for High-Performance Solar Steam Generation. , 2017, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[70]  Synthesis and characterisation of metal oxides nanoparticles entrapped in cyclodextrin , 2004 .

[71]  Afreen Siddiqi,et al.  Towards sustainability in water-energy nexus: Ocean energy for seawater desalination , 2018 .

[72]  A. S. Abdullah,et al.  Augmentation of a solar still distillate yield via absorber plate coated with black nanoparticles , 2017 .

[73]  Nidal Hilal,et al.  Modeling and optimization of a solar forward osmosis pilot plant by response surface methodology , 2016 .

[74]  P. Liang,et al.  Microbial desalination cells packed with ion-exchange resin to enhance water desalination rate. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[75]  A. E. Kabeel,et al.  Experimental study of a humidification-dehumidification solar technique by natural and forced air circulation , 2014 .

[76]  H. Ammari,et al.  Surface Plasmon Resonance of Nanoparticles and Applications in Imaging , 2014, 1412.3656.

[77]  Xinping Zhou,et al.  Performance of divergent-chimney solar power plants , 2018, Solar Energy.

[78]  J. Dai,et al.  Scalable and Highly Efficient Mesoporous Wood‐Based Solar Steam Generation Device: Localized Heat, Rapid Water Transport , 2018 .

[79]  Di Zhang,et al.  Ag/diatomite for highly efficient solar vapor generation under one-sun irradiation , 2017 .

[80]  J. Dai,et al.  In Situ, Fast, High‐Temperature Synthesis of Nickel Nanoparticles in Reduced Graphene Oxide Matrix , 2017 .

[81]  Le Shi,et al.  Rational design of a bi-layered reduced graphene oxide film on polystyrene foam for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation , 2017 .

[82]  Yuehong Su,et al.  A study on the maximum gained output ratio of single-effect solar humidification-dehumidification desalination , 2017 .

[83]  Fathollah Pourfayaz,et al.  Optimal design of stand-alone reverse osmosis desalination driven by a photovoltaic and diesel generator hybrid system , 2018 .

[84]  Swellam W. Sharshir,et al.  Performance enhancement of wick solar still using rejected water from humidification-dehumidification unit and film cooling , 2016 .

[85]  Kenneth T. V. Grattan,et al.  Gold nanorod-based localized surface plasmon resonance biosensors: A review , 2014 .

[86]  New design of potentially low-cost solar cells using TiO2/graphite composite as photon absorber , 2015, 1506.07953.

[87]  Fuqiang Huang,et al.  Constructing Black Titania with Unique Nanocage Structure for Solar Desalination. , 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[88]  Yurong He,et al.  Bifunctional Au@TiO2 core–shell nanoparticle films for clean water generation by photocatalysis and solar evaporation , 2017 .

[89]  T. D. Lee,et al.  A review of thin film solar cell technologies and challenges , 2017 .

[90]  Jinliang Xu,et al.  Plasmon heating of one-dimensional gold nanoparticle chains , 2018, Solar Energy.

[91]  J. Vossen,et al.  Thin films for emerging applications , 1992 .

[92]  Wounjhang Park,et al.  Flexible thin-film black gold membranes with ultrabroadband plasmonic nanofocusing for efficient solar vapour generation , 2015, Nature Communications.

[93]  Anatoliy O. Pinchuk,et al.  Size and Temperature Effects on the Surface Plasmon Resonance in Silver Nanoparticles , 2012, Plasmonics.

[94]  Angel Huminic,et al.  Application of nanofluids in heat exchangers: A review , 2012 .

[95]  S. H. Zaferani Using silane products on fabrication of polymer-based nanocomposite for thin film thermoelectric devices , 2017 .

[96]  Di Zhang,et al.  Bio-inspired evaporation through plasmonic film of nanoparticles at the air-water interface. , 2014, Small.

[97]  Mohamed Si–Ameur,et al.  Enhanced heat and mass transfer in solar stills using nanofluids: A review , 2018, Solar Energy.

[98]  Tao Deng,et al.  A Bioinspired, Reusable, Paper‐Based System for High‐Performance Large‐Scale Evaporation , 2015, Advanced materials.

[99]  Pratim Biswas,et al.  Bilayered Biofoam for Highly Efficient Solar Steam Generation , 2016, Advanced materials.

[100]  Peng Wang,et al.  Hydrophobic Light‐to‐Heat Conversion Membranes with Self‐Healing Ability for Interfacial Solar Heating , 2015, Advanced materials.

[101]  Yurong He,et al.  Solar steam generation through bio-inspired interface heating of broadband-absorbing plasmonic membranes , 2017 .

[102]  Zongfu Yu,et al.  Extremely Cost‐Effective and Efficient Solar Vapor Generation under Nonconcentrated Illumination Using Thermally Isolated Black Paper , 2017, Global challenges.

[103]  M. Shelke,et al.  Carbon fabric based solar steam generation for waste water treatment , 2018 .