1 research outputs found
Antibacterial Evaporator Based on Wood-Reduced Graphene Oxide/Titanium Oxide Nanocomposite for Long-Term and Highly Efficient Solar-Driven Wastewater Treatment
Herein,
we developed antifouling and highly efficient
solar absorbers
consisting of poplar wood coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites (with different
weight ratio of TiO2 to RGO). The antibacterial activity
of all prepared nanocomposites against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) was investigated. The results showed
that T2G1 (a nanocomposite in which the weight ratio of TiO2 to RGO is 2:1) has the highest antibacterial activity among all
nanocomposites (MIC of 0.08 and 0.08 mg mL–1 and
MBC of 0.6 and 0.8 mg mL–1 for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively). Therefore, it was
considered to be the most efficient photothermal material for interfacial
solar desalination and solar-driven treatment of wastewater. Because
of the broad-band solar absorption by T2G1, the solar absorber composed
of T2G1 and wood (denoted as T2G1-w) showed a high energy conversion
efficiency of 90.12% under 1 sun (1 kW m–2). T2G1-w
also had a high stability for long-term cycles. T2G1-w also showed
great performance of freshwater production from contaminated water
containing dye or heavy metals. The concentration of heavy metals
of Zn2+, Pb2+, Fe2+, Ni2+, and Cr6+ reduced from 1000 mg L–1 to
near zero in the presence of the prepared solar absorber, indicating
its great potential application for sewage treatment