Cellulose paper support with dual-layered nano-microstructures for enhanced plasmonic photothermal heating and solar vapor generation

Y. Huang, Y. Morishita, K. Uetani, M. Nogi and H. Koga. Cellulose paper support with dual-layered nano–microstructures for enhanced plasmonic photothermal heating and solar vapor generation. Nanoscale Adv., 2020, 2, 2339. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NA00163E

Semicarbonized Subwavelength-Nanopore-Structured Nanocellulose Paper for Applications in Solar Thermal Heating

Recently, there has been remarkable progress in solar thermal heating by applying biomass-derived carbons, which can absorb and convert solar light into thermal energy. The design of subwavelength nanoporous and molecular structures of biomass-derived carbons is required for suppressed reflection and enhanced absorption of solar light. However, such designs are difficult because conventional biomass-derived carbons exhibit intrinsic microstructures and are prepared under specific carbonization conditions. In this study, a wood cellulose nanofiber-derived carbon is proposed to tailor both subwavelength nanoporous and molecular structures. Cellulose nanofibers are first constructed into a paper, denoted as "nanopaper", exhibiting subwavelength nanoporous structures by tailoring the pore spaces between cellulose nanofibers. The as-prepared nanopaper is then carbonized at various controlled temperatures to tailor the cellulose molecular structure, i.e., grow graphitic carbon domains. The graphitic carbon domains grown by semicarbonization at 500 °C adequately balance solar absorption and reflection, while the subwavelength nanoporous structures suppress solar reflection. Thus, the semicarbonized nanopaper with tailored nanoporous and molecular structures exhibits superior solar thermal heating to competitive nanocarbons, also affording thermoelectric power generation. This study can guide the structural and functional design of bionanocarbons for solar thermal heating.Thanakorn Yeamsuksawat, Yoshitaka Morishita, Jun Shirahama, Yintong Huang, Takaaki Kasuga, Masaya Nogi, and Hirotaka Koga, Semicarbonized Subwavelength-Nanopore-Structured Nanocellulose Paper for Applications in Solar Thermal Heating, Chem. Mater. 2022, 34, 16, 7379–7388. ©2022 American Chemical Society