O. Omelianovych, E. Park, H-S Choi
Chungnam National University,
Korea
Keywords: Pd nanoparticles, solar thermal desalination, plasma-assisted synthesis, green synthesis of nanoparticles
Summary:
Nanosized plasmonic metallic nanoparticles such as Pd have attracted tremendous attention, due to their diverse applications including catalysis, sensing, and light-to-heat conversion. Therefore, developing green and simple synthesis routes for such nanoparticles is of crucial importance for the sustainable development of various industrial applications. In this work, we synthesize Pd-nanoparticles on the surface of cellulose filter paper (Pd-Cellulose) via two synthesis routes: low-temperature thermal and plasma synthesis. Adjusting synthesis conditions the optimum morphology for maximized light absorptance was achieved. Furthermore, the nature of the reduction species during synthesis significantly impacts the morphology and heat-transfer properties of the resulting material. Pd-Cellulose synthesized using atmospheric plasma shows significantly higher light absorptance in the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum and more intense convective and radiation heat transfer to the surroundings. The optimized Pd-based light absorbers were applied as light to heat converters in the solar-to-steam desalination system. The open-type system employing optimum Pd-Cellulose showed an evaporation rate of 1.30 kg/m2h under 1 sun illumination at 20 oC and 40% RH. Moreover, a new lab-scale solar-to-steam desalination setup with Pd-Cellulose was developed. In the closed solar-to-steam desalination system, the filtration rate of 0.7 kg/m2h (based on the collected freshwater) was achieved.