Bifunctional Fabric with Photothermal Effect and Photocatalysis for Highly Efficient Clean Water Generation

Fresh water scarcity has become a global challenge owing to the limited fresh water resource and the increasing water pollution. Solar-driven water evaporation with the interfacial heat localization is a promising technology to mitigate the fresh water scarcity. Here, we propose a bifunctional cotton fabric with both photothermal and photocatalytic properties by <i>in situ</i> polymerization of pyrrole (Py) on the cotton and subsequent deposition of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles. The morphology of the polypyrrole (PPy) can be adjusted, and fibrous PPy with a high hydrophilicity and a higher surface area was obtained on the cotton fibers in the presence of polydopamine (PDA). The TiO₂–PDA/PPy/cotton showed a solar evaporation rate of 1.55 kg m^–2 h^–1 under 1 sun illumination, which is higher than that for most previously reported evaporation systems. Besides the efficient solar vapor generation, the TiO₂–PDA/PPy/cotton also presented an excellent photocatalysis with a ∼96% degradation of methyl orange (MO) under simulated solar irradiation over 3 h. The PDA/PPy structure can enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ by promoting the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and decreasing charge recombination. This bifunctional fabric will provide a new approach for addressing the issue of fresh water scarcity

Additional file 1: of A New Smart Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensor Based on pH-Responsive Polyacryloyl Hydrazine Capped Ag Nanoparticles

Supplementary material. (DOCX 265 kb

Carrier-Free and Low-Temperature Ultradeep Dyeing of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Copolyester Modified with Sodium-5-sulfo-bis(hydroxyethyl)-isophthalate and 2‑Methyl-1,3-propanediol

To obtain sufficient dyeability, dyeing of poly­(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics must be performed at high temperature and high pressure or by using a no-eco-friendly carrier at atmospheric pressure, which implies large energy consumption and environmental contamination. In order to improve the sustainability of the dyeing process, a carrier-free and low-temperature dyeing procedure was developed for the poly­(ethylene terephthalate) copolyester (MCDP) incorporated with sodium-5-sulfo-bis­(hydroxyethyl)-isophthalate (SIP) and 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (MPD). The results obtained from cationic dyeing at optimized conditions show an outstanding dye utilization (99.0%) with MCDP, which is much higher than that of the conventional SIP-modified copolyester. Meanwhile, the introduction of SIP and MPD contents ensures the large adsorption and fast diffusion of dye molecules into the amorphous region of fibers, allowing an efficient and deep disperse dyeing of polyester fabrics under atmosphere in the absence of carriers. The environmental benefits arising from high quality dyed MCDP fabrics with ultradeep dyeing performance and excellent color fastness through a facile and clean dyeing process are highlighted with the economic ones

Reusable Hydrophilic–Superhydrophobic Patterned Weft Backed Woven Fabric for High-Efficiency Water-Harvesting Application

Here we report a hydrophilic–superhydrophobic patterned surface, which was fabricated via a readily weaving method to mimic the hybrid wettable areas arrangements on the back of Stenocara beetles. The fabric exhibited excellent water-harvesting rate (WHR) of 1267.2 mg h^–1 cm^–2. Besides, the fabric could be recycled for 10 times while the WHR stayed almost invariant. This work offers a very feasible and novel tool to achieve mass production of water-harvesting materials, providing novel ideas to bridge traditional textile industry with environmental conservation in the future

Wearable Solid-State Supercapacitors Operating at High Working Voltage with a Flexible Nanocomposite Electrode

The proposed approach for fabricating ultralight self-sustained electrodes facilitates the structural integration of highly flexible carbon nanofibers, amino-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (AM-MWNT), and MnO₂ nanoflakes for potential use in wearable supercapacitors. Because of the higher orientation of AM-MWNT and the sublimation of terephthalic acid (PTA) in the carbonization process, freestanding electrodes could be realized with high porosity and flexibility and could possess remarkable electrochemical properties without using polymer substrates. Wearable symmetric solid-state supercapacitors were further assembled using a LiCl/PVA gel electrolyte, which exhibit a maximum energy density of 44.57 Wh/kg (at a power density of 337.1 W/kg) and a power density of 13330 W/kg (at an energy density of 19.64 Wh/kg) with a working voltage as high as 1.8 V. Due to the combination of several favorable traits such as flexibility, high energy density, and excellent electrochemical cyclability, the presently developed wearable supercapacitors with wide potential windows are expected to be useful for new kinds of portable electric devices