Photothermal Devices for Sustainable Uses Beyond Desalination

Abstract

Solar energy is an abundant clean and renewable energy source that has found wide uses in many energy-intensive applications. It is normally transformed into other forms for certain applications, and light-to-heat conversion is one of the most common and efficient ways to utilize solar power. Previous reviews mostly focus on the solar-driven evaporation for desalination, but few mention other applications in which the photothermal materials play a vital role. Herein, a Review regarding the sustainable uses of photothermal devices beyond desalination is presented. The recent developments of photothermal materials and progress on their applications in wastewater treatment, oil-spill cleanup, moisture capture, energy harvesting during evaporation, sterilization, deicing, etc. are summarized. Herein, the working principles as well as property requirements in these applications are discussed and also the challenges with opportunities in future research are presented.