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Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting

Publication ,  Journal Article
Eyegheleme, NL; Shi, W; De Koninck, LH; O'Brien, JL; Boreyko, JB
Published in: Applied Physics Letters
June 21, 2021

Solar steam generation from a porous evaporator is a promising approach for harvesting fresh water. Parasitic heat loss can be reduced by using a 3D evaporator that extends above the free surface; however, capillary rise constrains the height of such structures to a centimeter scale. Here, we demonstrate solar steam generation from a synthetic tree, which uses transpiration instead of capillary rise to pump water up insulating tubes of any desired height. A nanoporous ceramic disk coated with graphite was used for the synthetic leaf, which was attached to the upper end of a vertical array of plastic tubes. Using a solar still, it was observed that the synthetic tree harvested approximately three times more condensed water than an equivalent bulk reservoir.

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Published In

Applied Physics Letters

DOI

EISSN

1077-3118

ISSN

0003-6951

Publication Date

June 21, 2021

Volume

118

Issue

25

Publisher

AIP Publishing

Related Subject Headings

  • Applied Physics
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 10 Technology
  • 09 Engineering
  • 02 Physical Sciences
 

Citation

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Eyegheleme, N. L., Shi, W., De Koninck, L. H., O’Brien, J. L., & Boreyko, J. B. (2021). Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting. Applied Physics Letters, 118(25). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0049904
Eyegheleme, Ndidi L., Weiwei Shi, Lance H. De Koninck, Julia L. O’Brien, and Jonathan B. Boreyko. “Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting.” Applied Physics Letters 118, no. 25 (June 21, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0049904.
Eyegheleme NL, Shi W, De Koninck LH, O’Brien JL, Boreyko JB. Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting. Applied Physics Letters. 2021 Jun 21;118(25).
Eyegheleme, Ndidi L., et al. “Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting.” Applied Physics Letters, vol. 118, no. 25, AIP Publishing, June 2021. Crossref, doi:10.1063/5.0049904.
Eyegheleme NL, Shi W, De Koninck LH, O’Brien JL, Boreyko JB. Synthetic trees for enhanced solar evaporation and water harvesting. Applied Physics Letters. AIP Publishing; 2021 Jun 21;118(25).

Published In

Applied Physics Letters

DOI

EISSN

1077-3118

ISSN

0003-6951

Publication Date

June 21, 2021

Volume

118

Issue

25

Publisher

AIP Publishing

Related Subject Headings

  • Applied Physics
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 10 Technology
  • 09 Engineering
  • 02 Physical Sciences