Perspective: Interfacial materials at the interface of energy and water

Abstract

Energy and water are deeply interconnected, and each sector is both central to society and under increasing stress. Innovations in materials will be a powerful tool in efforts to overcome these challenges by providing sustainable solutions to treating water and rendering it fit-for-purpose with minimal expenditure of energy and other resources. Interfaces between components of water systems and the water-based fluids themselves govern the performance of the vast majority of water treatment and conveyance processes. This perspective examines many of these interfaces, ranging from those in sorbents and sensors to membranes and catalysts, and surveys opportunities for scientists and engineers to reveal new insights into their function and, thereby, to design novel technologies for next-generation solutions to our collective energy-water challenges.