Synergistic photothermal conversion in CuS-MoS2/poly (vinyl alcohol) sponge for efficient solar water evaporation
writer：Yuanyuan Liu, Yongjie Lao, Yusheng Wang, Qiao Zhang, Feipeng Du, Yunfei Zhang *
keywords：Co-hydrothermal synthesis, CuS-MoS2/PVA sponge, Surface hydrophobicity, Synergistic photothermal evaporation, Desalination
source：期刊
specific source：Separation and Purification Technology
Issue time：2025年
It is desirable to alleviate the water shortage problem via utilizing solar thermal energy to desalinate seawater and purify wastewater. In this work, a kind of efficient CuS-MoS2 photothermal agent is prepared by co-hydrothermal synthesis and used to fabricate porous CuS-MoS2/poly (vinyl alcohol) photothermal sponge (CuS-MoS2/PVA) by mechanical foaming and chemical crosslinking method. The combination of CuS and MoS2 significantly improves surface hydrophobicity, minimizing water accumulation on the surface. Additionally, the synergistic photothermal effect of the CuS-MoS2 composite accelerates the water evaporation rate of the PVA sponge. The result demonstrates that CuS-MoS2/PVA exhibits a maximum evaporation rate of 1.92 kg m-2 h-1 and an excellent photothermal conversion efficiency of 91.5% under 1 sun intensity (1 kW m-2). Furthermore, the long-term stability and effective desalination capability of the CuS-MoS2/PVA evaporation system offer a potential opportunity for massive seawater desalination and wastewater purification. Therefore, this work offers a simple method of designing and fabricating cheap, efficient, and renewable solar water evaporation sponge forseawater desalination and pollutant purification.