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The filling process of nanoconduits is an active research topic. In this study, we use molecular dynamics simulations to identify the filling process of water molecules in a multiply connected carbon nanotube (MCCNT). For water permeation, a local change in the channel cross-section affects the water filling of MCCNTs because it may lead to irregularities in the permeation profile. A decrease in hydrogen bonds at the junctions of the structure characterizes the permeability of MCCNTs. In contrast to pristine CNTs, the complex nanochannel exhibits a different imbibition profile due to the energy changes at the junction. Next, we examine the local water density and velocity patterns in MCCNT channels to understand how junction regions affect steady-state water transport. We find that there is congestion and irregularities in steady water flow density and velocity profiles. Through this study, we expect to develop effective channels with more complex geometries for water purification and drug delivery. ISSN:1567-1739 ISSN:1878-1675

Interfacial solar-driven evaporators have presented great potential for water purification owing to their low energy consumption and high steam generation efficiency. However, their further applications are hindered by the high costs and complicated fabrication processes. Here, a scalable bilayer interfacial evaporator was constructed via an affordable technique, in which carbon black deposited nonwoven fabric (CB@NF) was employed as the upper photothermal layer, as well as PVA/starch hybrid hydrogel for self-floating and water transport. Under simulated one sun irradiation, CB@NF layer displayed excellent photothermal conversion performance, whose temperature could increase 30.4 °C within 15 min. Moreover, the introduction of starch into PVA endowed the hybrid hydrogels with considerable water-absorption capability on the premise of ensuring mechanical properties. The resultant CB@NF/PVA/starch composites achieved superior interfacial adhesion performance with interfacial toughness at about 200 J m−2. Combining with good evaporation performance, salt-rejection property and high purification efficiency on pollutants, this evaporation system would become a promising candidate to alleviate water shortage.

The use of functional biodegradable wastes to treat environmental problems would create minimal extra burden to our environment. In this paper, we propose a sustainable and practical strategy to turn spent coffee ground (SCG) into a multifunctional palladium-loaded catalyst for water treatment instead of going into landfill as solid waste. Bleached delignified coffee ground (D-SCG) has a porous structure and a good capability to reduce Pd (II) to Pd (0). A large amount of nanocellulose is formed on the surface of SCG after bleaching by H2O2, which anchors and disperses the palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs). The D-SCG loaded with Pd NPs (Pd-D-SCG) is superhydrophilic, which facilitates water transport and thus promotes efficient removal of organic pollutants dissolved in water. Pd-D-SCG exhibits excellent room temperature catalytic activity for the removal of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methylene blue (MB) in water and shows good chemical stability and recyclability in water, with no obvious decrease even after five repeated cycles.

Solar water evaporation membranes are considered as one of the most sustainable and cost-effective strategies to realize seawater desalination, sewage treatment and distillation. However, low-cost preparation of photo-thermal conversion membranes with both high light absorbance and efficient water transport remains a longstanding challenge. Herein, versatile and simple phase inversion strategy combined with surface corrosion is applied to fabricate flexible MCNTs cross-linked polyimide membranes (MCNTs/PIMs) with hierarchical pore distribution. The surface corrosion is used to dissolve the surface dense layer formed during the phase inversion process and obtain the adjustable surface pore structure with high sunlight absorption performance. Besides, the microchannel structure is prepared to realize multiple reflection of incident light and optimize water transport by controlling the coagulating bath. The results demonstrate that the MCNTs/CPIMs exhibit high light absorption performance of 94% in the long wavelength range of 200–2500 nm. The MCNTs/CPIMs possess rapid water evaporation rate of 1.26 kg m−2 h−1 and high solar thermal conversion efficiency of 72.7%. The flexible and scalable MCNTs/CPIMs exhibit efficient light/thermal management and rapid water transport performance, which enables them promising application in sustainable, low-cost and high efficient solar water evaporation.

There is an increasing shift from dissolution testing to dissolution-permeation testing of formulations during formulation development and this has led increasing application of permeability measurements using parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) membranes. However, there is a lack of thorough analysis of the impact of variabilities in the PAMPA setup on the mass flow rate outcomes, particularly for complex solubility-enabling formulations. In this study, we investigated the impact of amorphous drug-rich nanodroplets, formed in supersaturated solutions by liquid-liquid phase separation, on membrane transport by measuring mass flow rate across PAMPA membranes. In addition, we explored the impact of PAMPA variants such as lipid composition, hydrophobicity and pore size of the filter support, as well as receiver sink properties on membrane mass flow rates of solutions containing amorphous nanodroplets. Filter properties and lipid composition did not show a notable influence on the mass flow rates for lipophilic molecules, while a marked impact was observed for hydrophilic molecules. High sink conditions in the receiver compartment, arising from addition of micellar surfactant, altered the membrane integrity for lipid-impregnated hydrophilic membranes. In contrast, no such effect was observed for a hydrophobic filter support. Membrane integrity tests also suggested that monitoring water transport may be an improved approach over using Lucifer yellow. Furthermore, high sink conditions in the receiver compartment resulted in an increase in the overall mass flow rate. This was due to the effect of asymmetric conditions, generated across the membrane, on mass transport kinetics. Linearity between mass flow rate and donor concentration was observed until the donor concentration reached the amorphous solubility. Above the amorphous solubility, a gradual increase in mass flow rate was observed i.e., with an increasing number of nanodroplets in the solution. This was attributed to decrease in the permeability barrier across unstirred water layer due to reduction of the concentration gradient as nanodroplets dissolved to replenish absorbed drug. Observations made in this study provide insights into the mechanisms associated with mass transport of supersaturated solutions across PAMPA membranes, which are critical for improved evaluation of enabling formulations.

This paper reports on experiments carried out to highlight the effect of thermal aging on the microstructure of (u-PVC) tube used for freshwater transportation in sub-Saharan region. Two thermal aging protocols the both of 90 days were performed on the (u-PVC) specimens, at respectively 50 and 60 °C. The structural changes undergone by the (u-PVC) were monitored by FTIR-spectroscopy. It has been found that dehydrochlorination is the major event of the aging process. However, the stabilizer system played a key role in HCl-scavenging and chlorine atoms substitution. The aging temperature increased the kinetic of the oxidation reactions but also the stabilizer consumption. Chain scission reactions and structural changes were revealed by DSC-analysis.

Previous studies have explored interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) for photothermal conversion and seawater purification via biobased solar-driven devices. Nevertheless, as the water transport and solar absorption were inadequate, the seawater purification of current devices is limited. Herein, we report an efficient bamboo-based evaporator that demonstrates the torrefaction bamboo and avoids fabrication defects, achieving an excellent evaporation performance of 1.522 kg/m2 h with 94.4% conversion efficiency and sharp response time 80 s under one sun irradiance. This evaporator provides a stable self-floating state with continuous micro-nano channels, which were significantly parallel with the air–water surface, generating more photothermal energy and sharper water molecule movement than current devices. Simultaneously, this bamboo-based evaporator leads effective seawater purification towards the insoluble matter, soluble humus, and organic or inorganic matter, removing 99.58% of dissolved solids with self-clean capacity. Theoretical simulations deepen the synergy between water transport and photothermal location, promising prospects for the future development of high-performance biobased evaporators to ensure clean fuel and freshwater challenges.

The choice of condenser cooling option for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants is likely to affect their techno-economic feasibility. In view of this, an attempt has been made to assess relative techno-economics and net life cycle CO2-eq emissions mitigation (LCCM) potential for 50 MW nominal capacity wet-cooled and dry-cooled parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) and dry-cooled solar power tower (SPT) based CSP plants with 6.0 h of thermal energy storage for two potential locations in India. It was observed that though dry cooling is likely to save significant amount of water (∼92%) in PTSC based plants, the same shall result in higher capital cost, higher performance penalty and higher parasitic power requirements leading to around 20% higher levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) as compared to wet-cooled PTSC based plants. It was also observed that the dry-cooled SPT based plants shall be able to deliver up to 4.5% higher annual electricity output and LCOE is also likely to be lowered by 13% than wet-cooled PTSC based plants. Considering emissions embodied and emissions associated with water transport/extraction from the source and water treatment, the estimation of LCCM from the PTSC and SPT based CSP plants have also been undertaken.

Uppermost-internode diameter (UID) is a key morphological trait associated with spike development and yield potential in wheat. Our understanding of its genetic basis remains largely unknown. Here, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for UID with high-density genetic maps were identified in five wheat recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. In total, 25 QTLs for UID were detected in five RIL populations, and they were located on chromosomes 1A, 1D (3 QTL), 2B (2), 2D (3), 3B, 3D, 4A, 4B (3), 4D, 5A (5), 5B (2), 6B, and 7D. Of them, five major and stable QTLs (QUid.sau-2CN-1D.1, QUid.sau-2SY-1D, QUid.sau-QZ-2D, QUid.sau-SC-3D, and QUid.sau-AS-4B) were identified from each of the five RIL populations in multiple environments. QUid.sau-2CN-1D.1, QUid.sau-2SY-1D and QUid.sau-SC-3D are novel QTLs. Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers tightly linked to them were further investigated for developing near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying the major loci. Furthermore, candidate genes at these intervals harboring major and stable QTLs were predicted, and they were associated with plant development and water transportation in most cases. Comparison of physical locations of the identified QTL on the ‘Chinese Spring’ reference genome showed that several QTLs including two major ones, QUid.sau-2CN-1D.1 and QUid.sau-2SY-1D, are likely allelic confirming their validity and effectiveness. The significant relationships detected between UID and other agronomic traits and a proper UID were discussed. Collectively, our results dissected the underlying genetic basis for UID in wheat and laid a foundation for further fine mapping and map-based cloning of these QTLs.

Here we report on gas and vapor transport properties of ultra-thin graphene oxide (GO) membranes, with various C:O ratios. Graphene oxide nanosheets with an average lateral size of 800 nm and C:O ratio ranging from 2.11 to 1.81 have been obtained using improved Hummers’ method by variation of graphite:KMnO4 ratio. Thin-film selective layers based on the obtained graphene oxide have been spin-coated onto porous substrates. To extend the C:O range to 2.60, thermal reduction of GO membranes was applied. A decrease in C:O ratio leads to significant water vapor permeance growth to over 60 m3(STP)·m−2·bar−1·h−1 while the permeance towards permanent gases reduces slightly. According to the permeation and sorption measurements, a decisive role of H2O diffusivity has been established, while the water sorption capacity of the graphene oxide stays nearly independent of C:O ratio in GO. The result is supported by semi-empirical modeling which reveals diminution of H2O jump activation barriers with both increasing GO interlayer spacing and its oxidation degree. The height of the activation barriers was found to vary up to an order of magnitude within the entire range of relative humidity (0–100% RH), lowering significantly for strongly oxidized GO. Our results evidence the necessity of attaining maximum GO oxidation degree for improving water transport in GO, especially at low partial pressures.

Design of rational photoabsorbers is a promising approach to produce drinking water. Herein, a highly efficient and scalable wood-based photoabsorber device composed of poplar wood as a substrate coated with FeNi with mole ratio of Fe/Ni = 85% and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as top and bottom layers, respectively was designed for the interfacial solar desalination of seawater and heavy metal removal as a sorbent. Benefiting from high sunlight utilization and rapid water transport, high photothermal conversion fluxes of 1.50 and 4.77 kg m−2h−1 were achieved by the most efficient double-layer photoabsorber of W / F e N i 4 ∙ 5 R G O 4 ∙ 5 (wood coated with 4.5 g L−1 of FeNi as a top layer and 4.5 g L−1 of RGO as a bottom layer) under 1 and 3 sun, respectively (1 sun = 1 kW m−2). Also, a significant reduction in the salinity (four orders of magnitude), the electrical conductivity (3000 times) and the pH (1.35 times) of the seawater was achieved after 40 min solar desalination. The ratio of produced steam rate per cost was calculated as 9 cm3 h−1 $−1 which is compared with other double-layer devices reported in the literature. In addition, W / F e N i 4 ∙ 5 R G O 4 ∙ 5 acted as an excellent sorbent for Pb (II).

Water transport in the brain is tightly controlled by blood-brain-barrier (BBB) composed of capillary endothelial cells expressing AQP1/AQP11 and glial foot processes expressing AQP4. Here we examined each AQP mRNA expression in acute hyponatremic and hypernatremic mouse models of wild type (WT) and AQP11 KO mice (KO). The expressions of AQP1, AQP4 and AQP11 mRNAs were quantified by real-time qRT-PCR analysis of whole brain RNA. Acute hyponatremia enhanced AQP4 expression without changing AQP1 expression in KO, whereas it did not change the expression of all AQPs in WT. On the other hand, acute hypernatremia increased AQP4 but decreased AQP1 expression by half in KO, whereas it decreased AQP1 and AQP11 by half without changing AQP4 expression in WT. Enhanced AQP4 expression by osmotic challenges with sodium in KO seems to be a compensation for the loss of AQP11. A stronger hypertonic stimulation with mannitol decreased all AQPs by 30-80% in WT. Since AQP4 plays an important role in the regulation of brain edema at BBB, the results suggest that AQP11 may also be involved in the osmotic regulation of the brain.

The possibilities of the precise control of wetting properties of a series of laser-induced graphene (LIG) films consisting of microscale air pockets on top of nano-scale surface roughness using electrowetting are demonstrated. By application of a marginal DC bias (∼2 V), water can efficiently wet as well as can be pumped through the superhydrophobic LIG substrates. Interestingly, the electrowetting phenomenon is strongly dependent on the applied voltage polarity and it causes an abrupt wetting transition from superhydrophobic (contact angle ∼152°) Cassie state to superhydrophilic (contact angle ∼7°) Wenzel state on the LIG films. By analyzing the voltage polarity dependent electrowetting results with an equivalent electrical circuit model at the solid-liquid interface, and considering the hierarchical dual surface roughness (micro-nano scale), the transition between the “slippy” Cassie state and the “sticky” Wenzel states is explained. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the unique structural characteristics of the custom-designed micropatterned LIGs, with precisely tailored surface energy by simple post-annealing treatment, enable easy preparation of superhydrophobic LIG films. The approach to prepare stable superhydrophobic LIG with voltage polarity dependent wetting mode transition is used here to controllably transport of water through 3D porous LIG surfaces.

This work evaluates the success of the application of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells for transportation with a focus on issues and areas for possible developments. Fuel cell technology when applied in road, air and water transportation and all the instances had contributed to the provision of a cleaner environment. The new technology, if developed, would meet the economic prospect of the people. If the cost of materials, labour and overhead could be reduced to make it affordable for the transportation sector. Other factors that could make the technology accessible to customers, such as performances and durability, infrastructural development, human factor and government policy, were critically analysed. This paper will provide comprehensive details and discussions on the above issue to show the current application and future developments of the PEM fuel cell in transportation.

Pressing need goes ahead for accessing freshwater in insufficient supply countries and regions, which will become a restrictive factor for human development and production. In recent years, solar-driven water evaporation (SDWE) systems have attracted increasing attention for their specialty in no consume conventional energy, pollution-free, and the high purity of fresh water. In particular, carbon-based photothermal conversion materials are preferred light-absorbing material for SDWE systems because of their wide range of spectrum absorption and high photothermal conversion efficiency based on super-conjugate effect. Until now, many carbon-based SDWE systems have been reported, and various structures emerged and were designed to enhance light absorption, optimize heat management, and improve the efficient water transport path. In this review, we attempt to give a comprehensive summary and discussions of structure progress of the carbon-based SDWE systems and their working mechanisms, including carbon nanoparticles systems, single-layer photothermal membrane systems, bi-layer structural photothermal systems, porous carbon-based materials systems, and three dimensional (3D) systems. In these systems, the latest 3D systems can expand the light path by allowing light to be reflected multiple times in the microcavity to increase the light absorption rate, and its large heat exchange area can prompt more water to evaporate, which makes them the promising application foreground. We hope our review can spark the probing of underlying principles and inspiring design strategies of these carbon-based SDWE systems, and further guide device optimizations, eventually promoting in extensive practical applications in the future.

Water management in the flow field as well as the flooding process in the gas diffusion and catalyst layers enormously influence proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) performance and reliability. Researchers have developed many different designs for flow channels that can be used to distribute fuel or oxidant in PEMFCs (proton exchange membrane fuel cells). Among these designs, novel biomimetic designs have captured special attentions from researchers due to their capability of distributing fluids effectively. This study presents an investigation of the liquid water transport within a porous layer and a symmetrical biomimetic flow field based on Murray's law. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is employed, and the dynamic contact angle (DCA) effects are also considered for better prediction of water distribution. The water transport process and water distribution inside the porous layer and flow field are obtained from the simulation results. Recommendations are given for this type of flow field design based on the behaviors of liquid water in the porous layer and flow field.

This study applied the pseudo-potential Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for investigating liquid water transport in the microporous layer (MPL) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) of polymer electrolyte fuel cell. The MPL and GDL reconstruction is performed by using a stochastic method. Unlike previous studies that examined the GDL as two distinct layers of hydrophilic and hydrophobic, this study considered the wettability heterogeneity. In the present study, some of the carbon fibers in the GDL are randomly considered hydrophilic. Moreover, liquid water transport in the compressed and uncompressed GDL with different hydrophilic fibers percentage are compared. The effect of hydrophilic fibers percentage and the compression ratio of the GDL on the liquid water saturation level, the steady-state time, and the formation and growth of droplets in the gas channel (GC) are investigated. The results indicated that more than 10% of hydrophilicity of the fibers lead to the formation of discontinuous water clusters. This phenomenon increased the steady-state time and water saturation level significantly. The simulation showed that compression increased the number of discontinuous water clusters in the GDL. The obtained results demonstrated that the hydrophilic fibers may have positive or negative effects on water transport in the GDL due to their location. In addition, this study indicated that for 10% of hydrophilic fibers with 10% compression, water saturation level and time required to reach steady-state decreased by 5.2% and 22% respectively compared to purely hydrophobic GDL.

Aquaporins (AQPs) involved in water and small molecule transport respond to environmental stress, while it is not clear how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) regulate AQP expression. Here, we investigated the change in leaf water potential and expression level of four tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), six plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), and four nodin-26 like intrinsic proteins (NIPs) genes in trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae under well-watered (WW), salt stress (SS), and waterlogging stress (WS). Root AMF colonization and soil hyphal length collectively were reduced by SS and WS. Under WW, inoculation with AMF gave diverse responses of AQPs: six AQPs up-regulated, three AQPs down-regulated, and five AQPs did not change. Such up-regulation of more AQPs under mycorrhization and WW partly accelerated water absorption, thereby, maintaining higher leaf water potential. However, under SS, all the fourteen AQPs were dramatically induced by AMF inoculation, which improved water permeability of membranes and stimulated water transport of the host. Under WS, AMF colonization almost did not induce or even down-regulated these AQPs expressions with three exceptions (PtTIP2;2, PtPIP1;1, and PtNIP1;2), thus, no change in leaf water potential. As a result, mycorrhizal plants under flooding may have an escape mechanism to reduce water absorption. It is concluded that AMF had different strategies in response to environmental stresses (e.g. SS and WS) by regulating leaf AQP expression in the host (e.g. trifoliate orange).

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is a clean energy conversion device. Water management is one of the critical issues limiting the PEM fuel cell performance and service life. Liquid water impact on fuel cell surface significantly influences water transport and removal in the PEM fuel cell. In this study, a numerical investigation of water impact on the channel surface opposite to the GDL is carried out using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. The effects of impact velocity, droplet size, surface contact angle, temperature and impact angle on the water impact process are investigated. Water droplet impact on the wet flow channel surface is also considered. The results reveal that the water droplet experiences spreading and retraction stages in the impact process on a dry surface, determined by the interactions among the surface tension, inertial force and viscous force. Increasing the impact velocity, droplet size, surface hydrophilicity, temperature and impact angle lead to greater maximum water spreading factor on the surface. The water motion modes mainly include merging, crown-shaped jet flow and splashing on a wet surface, based on the magnitude of the impact velocity. The splashing is easier to occur for water droplet impact on a wet surface.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are highly conserved small transmembrane proteins, which are responsible for the water transport across the cell membrane. AQPs are abundantly expressed in numerous types of cells such as epithelial and endothelial cells. The expression of AQP-1, -3, -4, -5, -8 and -9 were found in the digestive system, where these six AQP isoforms serve essential roles including mediating the transmembrane water transport and regulating the secretion of gastrointestinal (GI) fluids, consequently facilitating the digestion and absorption of GI contents. In addition, the expression levels of AQPs are controlled by various factors, and AQPs can stimulate numerous signaling pathways; however, aberrant expression of AQPs in the GI tracts are associated with the initiation and development of numerous diseases. Thus, this review provides an overview of the expression and functions of AQPs in the digestive system.

Control of water content of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) within a reasonable rangeis a question worthy of study. This paper addresses questions of water transport, water fault, and water management methods in a PEMFC. Both an excess (overflow) or lack (dehydration) of water in a fuel cell may affect the performance and the service life. Herein, we describe in detail the effects of water content on the cathode, anode, gas diffusion layer (GDL), catalyst layer (CL) and flow channel. Monitoring the flow and accumulation of water directly in the PEMFC is the most effective approach to determine which of the two scenarios, overflow or dehydration, occurs. The water transport can be effectively investigated in a transparent fuel cell, using neutron scanning, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray irradiation. Regarding the PEMFC water management, this paper reviews some current methods, such as improvement of the flow field structure, changing hydrophilic materials, and optimizing control systems.

With rapid road infrastructure development in the past century, the role of water passenger transport has diminished drastically worldwide. A lot of ferry services in coastal cities have become financially unviable. However, water transport has huge potentials in promoting transport sustainability and resilience. This paper proposes a holistic framework that examines five core elements in a ferry business model, including (i) population demand, (ii) connectivity to public transit and activity nodes, (iii) individual preferences, (iv) management and operational strategies and (v) pier infrastructure. An international benchmarking framework of ferry operation and pier management across several cities with large-scale ferry development (Brisbane, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco and Venice) is proposed and tested in Hong Kong. There are several general lessons. First, providing denser and more diversified opportunities (employment, commercial, recreation and open space) near the piers with good connectivity is essential. Direct access to these activities by water transport and well-developed intermodal transfer are conducive to ferry patronage. Second, improving the travel experience of passengers, including pre-boarding and on-board experience, is fundamental. Overall, integrating ferry services, pier infrastructure and promenade development in a policy package is critical to the long-term viability of ferry transport, although several critical challenges need to be addressed.

In recent years, solar desalination and water evaporation/purification with various artificial architectures have drawn significant attention. Herein, we introduce a rational design structure for efficient solar water evaporation and purification, focusing on the balance between water transportation and thermal insulation. Natural wood after a simple flame treatment on the surface was utilized as the solar absorber, with a high solar absorbance (∼90 %), good hydrophilicity, and excellent heat localization abilities. Besides, a thermal insulator (polystyrene foam) was used to further reduce the thermal loss, and the optimized ratio between the water path and thermal insulator was obtained. A set of floating foam-flamed-wood (F-F-wood) devices were fabricated with a high evaporation rate of 3.92 kg m−2 h−1, exhibiting photothermal purification abilities from seawater and wastewater containing organic dyes and heavy metals. This study sheds light on the rational design of scalable and low-cost devices for solar water evaporation and purification.

Oil and organic pollutants removal becomes an efficient solution to dispose of industrial oily and textile dye wastewater. This study proposes a lotus leaf-like bionic nanofibrous membrane with underwater superoleophobic for highly efficient oil-water separation. Papillary structure of the bionic membrane is formed by electrospraying of PVDF and TiO2 solutions on the surface of beaded-structure PVDF/TiO2 membrane. Dopamine is then decorated on the resultant PVDF/TiO2 membrane by in situ polymerization to be with hydrophilic-underwater oleophobic property for highly efficient oil-water separation. This bionic membrane has > 99 % oil-water separation efficiency, and high flux of 1389 ± 67 L m−2 h−1. Its contact angle of underwater petroleum ether and dichlomethane reaches 155° and 152°, respectively. Moreover, it has excellent water transport capacity, photocatalytic property, as well as high separation efficiency and flux even after 5-cycle filtration. This bionic nanofibrous membrane will become a promising candidate in clean production, industrial oil/water separation, water purification and efficient liquid transmission.

Epidote is a typical hydrous mineral in subduction zones. Here, we report a synchrotron-based single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) study of natural epidote [Ca1.97Al2.15Fe0.84(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)] under simultaneously high pressure-temperature (high P-T) conditions to ~17.7 ​GPa and 700 ​K. No phase transition occurs over this P-T range. Using the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state (EoS), we fitted the pressure-volume-temperature (P-V-T) data and obtained the zero-pressure bulk modulus K0 ​= ​138(2) GPa, its pressure derivative K 0 ' ​= ​3.0(3), the temperature derivative of the bulk modulus ((∂K/∂T)P ​= ​−0.004(1) GPa/K), and the thermal expansion coefficient at 300 ​K (α0 ​= ​3.8(5) ​× ​10−5 ​K−1), as the zero-pressure unit-cell volume V0 was fixed at 465.2(2) A3 (obtained by a single-crystal XRD experiment at ambient conditions). This study reveals that the bulk moduli of epidote show nonlinear compositional dependence. By discussing the stabilization of epidote and comparing its density with those of other hydrous minerals, we find that epidote, as a significant water transporter in subduction zones, may maintain a metastable state to ~14 ​GPa along the coldest subducting slab geotherm and promote slab subduction into the upper mantle while favoring slab stagnation above the 410 ​km discontinuity. Furthermore, the water released from epidote near 410 ​km may potentially affect the properties of the 410 ​km seismic discontinuity.

To improve proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzes’ performance the voltage loss through them should be avoided. In this work, it is intended to analyze losses including of diffusion loss, ohmic loss due to electrode, bipolar plate (BP), and membrane resistances, and gas crossover associated with the water transferring mechanisms. All of the losses are associated with water transferring mechanisms, which is created due to electro-osmoic drag, pressure differential between the anode and cathode sides, and diffusion. Furthermore, the effect of membrane thickness, cathode pressure, and operating temperature on the hydrogen crossover is examined. In addition, the contribution of ohmic loss due to electrode bipolar plate (BP), and membrane resistances is studied and, the contribution of different losses on the cell performance is discussed. Results show that raising cathode pressure from 1 to 40 bar lead to the increment of anodic hydrogen content from 1.038% to 21% at the specific current density of 10,000 A/m2. Enhancing the thickness of membrane has considerable impact on decrementing anodic hydrogen content, but the mass transfer loss rises from 0.022 to 0.027 V with enhancing membrane thickness from 50 to 300 μm, respectively. Furthermore, the contribution of voltage losses, assigned to each of losses are equal to 85%, 3%, and 12% for activation, diffusion and ohmic losses, respectively. It is found that, from the reported contribution for ohmic loss, the contribution of electrode BP, and membrane resistances are 31% and 69%, respectively.

In overall iodine-sulphur (I-S) cycle (Bunsen reaction), HI decomposition is a serious challenge for improvement in H2 production efficiency. Herein, we are reporting an electrochemical process for HI decomposition and simultaneous H2 and I2 production. Commercial Nafion 117 membrane has been generally utilized as a separator, which also showed huge water transport (electro-osmosis), and deterioration in conductivity due to dehydration. We report sulphonated poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-co-HFP) (SCP) and sulphonated graphene oxide (SGO) composite stable and efficient polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) for HI electrolysis and H2 production. Different SCP/SGO composite PEMs were prepared and extensively characterized for water content, ion-exchange capacity (IEC), conductivity, and stabilities (mechanical, chemical, and thermal) in comparison with commercial Nafion117 membrane. Most suitable optimized SCP/SGO-30 composite PEM exhibited 6.78 × 10−2 S cm−1 conductivity in comparison with 9.60 × 10−2 S cm−1 for Nafion® 117. The electro-osmotic flux ofSCP/SGO-30 composite PEM (2.53 × 10−4 cm s−1) was also comparatively lower than Nafion® 117 membrane (2.75 × 10−4 cm s−1). For HI electrolysis experiments, SCP/SGO-30 composite PEM showed good performance such as 93.4% current efficiency (η), and 0.043 kWh/mol-H2 power consumption (Ψ). Further, intelligent architecture of SCP/SGO composite PEM, in which hydrophilic SGO was introduced between fluorinated polymer by strong hydrogen bonding, high efficiency and performance make them suitable candidate for electrochemical HI decomposition, and other diversified electrochemical processes.

For hydrogen-based polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), water transport control in gas diffusion layers (GDLs) by wettability distribution is useful to suppress the flooding problem. In this study, the water transport of a novel GDL with hydrophilic-hydrophobic patterns was investigated. First, we clarified that the water motion in the hydrophilic GDL with microstructures could be reproduced by the enlarged scale model. The scale model experiment also showed that the same water behavior in hydrophilic GDL can be obtained from Capillary numbers (Ca) in a range of Ca ~ 10−5 to 10−3. As the computational load is inversely proportional to Ca, the computational load could be reduced by 1/100th by using Ca ~ 10−3, which is 100 times higher than PEFC operation (Ca ~ 10−5). Finally, the simulation with Ca ~ 10−3 was performed, and we showed that the GDL with straight region of contact angle 50° minimized the water accumulation.

This study presents the development of a zone-based model for commodity classification. The model divides the rack storage into multiple zones with each representing one tier of commodity. The fire spread within each zone is modeled using energy conservation for burning surface area. The water transport between zones is modeled using mass conservation. Effective properties are used to simplify the commodity behavior for fire spread and suppression. Model parameters are estimated or optimized based on experimental data. The model performance is evaluated against a representative commodity with well-established flammability properties. The chemical heat release rate matches generally well with experimental data under different storage heights and water application conditions. The model is able to predict the values of Critical Delivered Flux (CDF) for higher-tier storage based on two lower-tier experiments. The predicted CDF values reasonably agree with the experimental results. This work demonstrates a means to generalize results from tests under controlled water application conditions, which is critical to improve the cost-effectiveness of commodity classification.

The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of port throughput in terms of fulfilling its basic tasks related to loading/unloading of cargo. Maritime and inland ports are a significant component of the efficient functioning of many countries’ economies. Their basic activity is mainly focused on loading/unloading of cargo in various variants of work. The total amount of cargo transferred during the navigation period is expressed as port capacity. Navigation period represents the number of days. During these days it is possible to transport cargo on the waterway by vessels. Increasing the throughput is important, especially in terms of the port’s revenue and the discharge of its financial budget. Knowledge how to increase the throughput allows to make a full use of the potential of the port and to propose its possibilities for its development. By pointing to the individual components of throughput and their impact on the efficient functioning of ports, it forms the basis for the creation of effective components. And these components are key factor in the development of loading/unloading activities and ultimately the port itself. So, the results of this paper are focused on better using of port facilities and port operations.

To maximize the ion adsorption capacity with fast electrosorption, hierarchical multi-pore structures have been suggested in energy conversion and desalination technologies. However, it is hard to synthesize hierarchical structure via successive chemical process or template methods. In this article, we developed carbon composite electrode including mesoporous and microporous carbon via facile method for both high surface area and fast electrosorption. We observed that introducing mesoporous carbon to microporous carbon can improve the adsorption kinetics by enhancing wettability for water transport and simplifying ion transfer pathway. Finally, GNPAC 1:1 composite electrode showed the highest average salt adsorption rate, attributed from better adsorption kinetics and increased effective area for adsorption in fast flow rate of electrolyte compared to pristine microporous and mesoporous carbon electrode.

In this study, we analyze the impacts of water transport development on the economy and society in the Slovak Republic. We compare water transport with other modes of transport and analyze the possibilities of using water transport for sectors of the national economy. We will focus primarily on strengthening water transport at the expense of road transport. The main reason is the capacity limit of the road network. The results of the analysis represent an economic estimate of the effects of the relocation of part of the transport flows from road to water transport. The analysis works sensitively with the transfer of part of the load from road transport to water transport, in order to avoid the liquidation of road transport, but to offer an alternative from which road transport can also benefit.

One of the main problems of modern sea and inland water transport is ensuring the safety of navigation. This problem is caused by the influence of various factors, both directly on the vessels and on the personnel of their operators. It should be noted that one of the key elements of ensuring the safety of navigation is ensuring the safety of navigation of vessels. Every day navigators face many situations directly related to the safety of navigation. These situations are random in nature, and statistical data for most of these situations are missing or incomplete, which does not allow us to find high-quality solutions based on the use of modern computing systems. In addition, do not forget about the influence of the human factor on situational decisions. However, the prospects for the introduction of unmanned technologies in water transport require the use of special computational approaches that allow us to obtain appropriate assessments of situations related to ensuring the safety of navigation. In this paper, the authors propose several variants of fuzzy models that can be used to predict dangerous situations on sea and inland water transport. The article also provides examples of their possible use. Special attention is paid to the possibility of predicting the impact of the human factor on the occurrence of dangerous situations.

Understanding water transport by the subducting slab and the corner flow of the mantle wedge is a crucial topic because it is a prime control on seismic tremors, arc-to-intraplate volcanoes as well as on global water distribution in the mantle. However, most of previous studies focused on water transport by the subducting slab and did not quantitatively evaluated the amount of water carried by the corner flow into the deep mantle. Using two-dimensional numerical experiments, we model both the dehydration of the subducting slab and (de)hydration of the mantle wedge and quantify the amount of water transported by both of them. We use the water solubilities of basalt and peridotite derived from laboratory measurements and from thermodynamic calculations, and compare the implications of their differences. Our calculations show that the two models for the water solubilities of basalt result in either abundant or scarce free water through extensive or negligible dehydration of the sub-forearc oceanic crust, leading to a hydrated or a dry cold nose of the mantle wedge, respectively. Further, the oceanic crust of the subducting slab is almost dehydrated prior to reaching a depth of 250 km, regardless of subduction parameters and the models for the water solubilities of basalt. The dehydration depth of the lithospheric mantle of the subducting slab deepens with decreasing slab temperature. The lithospheric mantle of cold subducting slab (e.g., Northeast Japan) experiences partial dehydration at sub-backarc depths and transports the remaining bound water beyond a depth of 250 km, regardless of the models for the water solubilities of peridotite. Deep water transport by the corner flow of the mantle wedge is negligible regardless of the models for the water solubilities of peridotite. The water carried by the lithospheric mantle may be the cause of backarc and intraplate volcanoes in Northeast Asia.

The present work aimed to analyze the retrospective effects of stacking sequence on water uptake behavior and mechanical strength of PPLS/glass fiber polyester laminates. The composite laminates were fabricated with different stacking sequence and exposed to water by immersing it at a room temperature for a period of 20 days. For studying the mechanism of water transport in the laminate, the laminates were weighted in regular interval of 24 h. From the results, it is observed that irrespective of stacking sequence, the mechanism of water transport follows the law of Fickian’s diffusion. Again, reduction in mechanical properties due to water uptake was also noticed. However, a substantial recovery of properties was observed on complete removal of water particle by desiccation.

The paper deals with a decision-making method applied in the navigation of ships. It presents results of research on collision avoidance and path-planning for unmanned and fully autonomous ships. The continuation of earlier studies are presented. The research was concentrated on the evaluation of a deterministic real-time path planning algorithm using multi-ship encounter situations registered on-board a ship Horyzont II. Data were obtained during the vessel’s voyage to Spitsbergen. The method applied, called the Trajectory Base Algorithm (TBA), searches through a database of candidate solutions - trajectories, in order to find the final best solution to the considered encounter situation. The aim of the study was to further evaluate the TBA applicability in a practical industrial application, in the Collision Avoidance Module of the Autonomous Navigation System for unmanned and autonomous vessels. Obtained results confirmed that the method is reliable, returns safe solutions in near-real time and can be applied in order to solve the considered problem.

The heightened focus on manufacturing of green composites for engineering application and research field, the natural fiber has gained its importance. In the other hand, the hydrophilicity behaviour of natural fiber is a matter of grave concern for their potential outdoor applications. Hence the objective of this work is to study the moisture sorption behaviour of kenaf/glass polyester hybrid composite with diverse stacking sequences in general water medium and its repercussion on mechanical properties. Moisture absorption test was performed by soaking the composite at room temperature into normal water for 20 days. The distinctive parameters such as diffusion coefficient (Dx), moisture content at equilibrium (Mm) and mechanism of water transport were determined. The mechanism of water transport into the hybrid composite was found to follow Fickian’s diffusion. The repercussions of the water sorption on the tensile and bending strength of laminates were investigated. The strengths were found to be decreased with increase in rate of water intake and also the position of kenaf fibre stalk at the outer layer.

Jujube (Ziziphus jujubaMill.), a deciduous tree, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional values. Being an extremophile, it has an excellent capability to survive under arid conditions with limited water availability. In this regard, studying the role of water transport regulating proteins such as Aquaporins (AQPs) in jujube is of great importance. Aquaporins, channel-forming proteins are known to have a significant role in the transport of water and many other small solutes in plants. In the present study, computational approaches have identified 36 AQPs, which comprised of 12 NIPs (Nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins), 10 PIPs (Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins), 10 TIPs (Tonoplast intrinsic proteins), 3 SIPs (Small intrinsic proteins), and 1 XIP (uncharacterized intrinsic protein). Conserved features of AQPs like asparagines-proline-alanine (NPA) amino acid motifs, aromatic/arginine (ar/R) selectivity filters, and Frogger's residues, having a significant role in solute specificity and transport, were also predicted. Homology-based tertiary (3D) structures of AQPS were also resolved using various tools, and subsequently, pore-lining residues have been identified using the 3D structures. The information of pore morphology, along with the conserved features provided through this work, will be helpful to predict solute specificity of AQPs. Analysis of transcriptomic data revealed the tissue-specific or ubiquitous expression of several AQPs in different tissues of jujube. Interestingly, TIP3-1 was found to have fruit specific expression whereas most of the AQPs have a relatively low expression. Based on the present study and previous reports, TIP3s seems to have a significant role in seed desiccation processes. The findings presented here provide pivotal insights into the functions of extremophile specific AQPs, to better understand the role of AQPs and, subsequently, the stress tolerance mechanism in jujube.

This study has been designed to investigate the determinants of competitiveness in the logistics industry. In particular, we focus on the expansion of transportation as a central theme. Size and economy of scale are important issues in many industries. Previous studies have typically highlighted the positive aspects of large scale in terms of competitiveness. However, this study acknowledges that the large scale of transportation means, such as container ships and cargo planes, may not necessarily be positive for the competitiveness of the logistics industry. We believe that expansion is a double-edged sword. Economy of scale can have negative aspects associated with it. This study analyzes how transportation size affects competitiveness in the logistics industry. Additionally, we discuss other determinants of logistics performance such as ICT capability and green transportation. According to empirical findings, we could not identify a specific relationship between the large scale of marine transportation and logistics performance. Moreover, a negative influence behind the increase in air transportation is discussed. Additionally, this study attempts to establish theoretical foundations for logistics performance. This study has been designed to investigate the impact of transportation expansion on logistics performance based on the RBV, transaction cost analysis (TCA), and institutional theory.

Water electrolysis is essential for producing hydrogen as an energy source for society. The development of polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) has also raised the potential for new applications of electrolysis technologies. In this study, we demonstrate deuterium (D) isotope separation where pure water containing heavy water is supplied to the anode of a PEMWE. The D separation was evaluated by measuring the concentration in the drained water and in the generated hydrogen gas. The D separation was measured at several of stoichiometry numbers of feed water, λ, which was ratio of the theoretical water consumption to water feed. Notably, at the same stoichiometry, the D separation depended on the volume of the water feed to the anode of the cell and current density. This effect might be explained by complex water transport behavior governed by electro-osmotic flow and back diffusion across the concentration gradient.

Converting polyesters into carbon materials for energy and environmental applications provides a promising way to recycle urban and industrial waste plastics. However, previous strategies could not precisely control the crosslinking reaction of polyester. Herein, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is transformed into O,S-doped hierarchically porous carbon (OSHPC) using sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) and ZnO at 550 °C. SLS/ZnO show a synergistic effect on the PET carbonization. Firstly, a crosslinking structure is generated through esterification of carboxylic acid in PET degradation products with hydroxyl group in SLS. Subsequently, ZnO promotes de-carbonylation of crosslinking structure into vinyl-terminated chains and radical species to form carbon framework with rich micropores. Upon ZnO removal, numerous mesopores/macropores are introduced. OSHPC thereby bears micro-/meso-/macropores with rich chemical groups, which favor for water transportation. Meanwhile, the bead-like particles in OSHPC improve sunlight absorption. The combined advantages endue OSHPC with high performance in solar vapor generation to produce freshwater from wastewater/seawater. The evaporation rate under 1 kW/m2 is 1.51 kg/m2/h, and the metallic ion removal efficiency is >99.9%. This work reutilizes waste polyesters to fabricate functional carbon and contributes to environmental remediation and solar energy exploitation.

Simultaneous enhancement in water flux and removal efficiency during the filtration process remains a big challenge for separation membranes. The porous structure of the filter paper can provide many channels for water transportation, but the separation performance is generally poor. The purpose of this study is to develop a new kind of filter paper consisting of ultralong hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanowires, cellulose fibers (CFs) and double metal oxide (LDO) nanosheets, and to achieve the simultaneous enhancement of both water flux and removal efficiency for high-performance dye separation. In this work, a novel kind of LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper consisting of ultralong HAP nanowires and CFs and LDO nanosheets has been developed for rapid water filtration and highly efficient dye adsorption. Positively charged LDO nanosheets can adsorb on the surface of negatively charged ultralong HAP nanowires and embed in the porous networked structure of the LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper, which can provide a porous structure for rapid water transportation and can adjust the pore size of the nanocomposite filter paper. As a result, the pure water flux of the LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper can be adjusted. The optimized pure water flux of the LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper can reach 783.6 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, which is 1.51 times that of the HAP/CF filter paper without LDO nanosheets (518.6 L m-2 h-1 bar-1). More importantly, the adsorption capacity of LDO nanosheets is high for dye molecules, the rejection percentage of Congo red (CR) by the as-prepared HAP/CF filter paper is only 59.8%, and its water flux is 534.7 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. The optimized rejection percentage and water flux of the LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper for CR are significantly enhanced (98.3% and 736.8 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, respectively) compared to those of the HAP/CF filter paper. The size of LDO nanosheets has a significant effect on the water flux and dye rejection percentage of the LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper. The as-prepared LDO/HAP/CF nanocomposite filter paper is promising for the applications in highly efficient purification of wastewater containing dye molecules.

Sustainable transport is an important way of mitigating climate change. Inland navigation still is a sustainable mode of transport which is of great importance for the whole European transport market. However, due to its market structure, it risks losing the battle for volume and market share with the other transportation modes. Opting for inductive research approach, this paper first of all collects data. Next, the paper observes the market of the European inland navigation sector and looks for patterns in order to develop a set of structural pathways. From the data collection, it turns out that the sector is facing challenges, mainly due to overcapacity, uncontrolled costs and volatile freight prices. The classical reaction pattern to overcome these shortcomings (capacity control, cost control, playing with ‘time’ and ‘reliability’ factors) does no longer suffice. By analyzing the patterns, the researchers were able to formulate five pathways: A first path is that of technological/operational innovation or retrofitting for ecological and social sustainability. A second path is that of industrial economics: inland navigation is marked by a lot of fragmentation. A solution might be pooling up, whereby the risk of anti-competitive impacts seems very low. A third path is that of financing: the classical financing through banks clearly provides no incentive for reducing overcapacity, even not through bankruptcies. Actual lay-up of vessels seems a must. For longer-run financing, bonds, credit unions or even crowd-funding can be solutions. A fourth path builds on the second one, with more co-operation needed within the wider sector, also with vertically-related partners: charterers, terminal operators, etc. Fifth and finally, a dynamic regulation is needed, following modern rules, with an eye on the longer-term viability of the sector.

Atomically thin solid-state channels enabling selective molecular transport could potentially be used in a variety of separation and energy conversion applications. The density of channels, their height, distance and edge structure are the key factors that dramatically impact the selective transport performance. However, such channels with small constrictions and atomic precision have been limited to proof-of-concept demonstrations based on microscale two-dimensional (2D) crystal stripes. Here, we report the engineering of highly ordered, scalable monolayer graphene crystallite arrays by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method with a modified anisotropic etching approach. The size, shape, distance and edge structure of the graphene crystallite arrays in a large area could be delicately controlled through tailoring the synthetic parameters. This array structure can act as pillars to prop up a smooth single-crystal graphene film, and the fabricated integrated angstrom-size (3.4 A) channels allow water transport but exclude hydrated ions, demonstrating potential in selective ionic sieving and nanofiltration practice.

Near-saturated hydraulic properties are the key parameters for water transport models in the unsaturated zone and essential for management practices. This study was conducted to compare efficacy of multiple linear regression (MLR) and hybrid method of genetic algorithm with artificial neural network (GA-ANN) for prediction of near-saturated soil hydraulic properties in Moghan plain, north-western Iran. The results of MLR analysis indicated that this method had low potential to predict near-saturated soil hydraulic properties in the study area, which only could explain 14–38% of variability in the studied properties. Otherwise, GA-ANN was much higher powerful that could explain about 35–80% of total variability in the mentioned properties in the study area. The results of sensitivity analysis suggest that soil particle size distribution, organic matter, electrical conductivity and relative bulk density were the most crucial with variety of priorities for explaining variability of the near-saturated soil hydraulic properties in the study area in the semiarid region. In overall, it was concluded that application of intelligent system using the easily available soil properties as predictors could provide reliable estimates of near-saturated soil hydraulic properties at the filed scale.

The coordinated effects of CO2 enrichment and drought stress on cucumber leaves have attracted increasing research attention, but few studies have investigated the effects of CO2 enrichment on the root system under drought stress. So we analyzed the morphological parameters, hydraulic conductivity, aquaporin-related gene expression, and endogenous phytohormone contents in roots of cucumber seedlings cultured under different CO2 concentrations (approximately 400 and 800 ± 40 μmol mol−1) and drought stresses simulated by polyethylene glycol 6000 (0%, 5%, and 10%). The results showed that under drought stress, regardless of the CO2 concentration, the root biomass and hydraulic conductivity decreased, the contents of auxin (IAA), zeatin nucleoside (ZR), and gibberellin (GA) decreased, the abscisic acid (ABA) content and the transcript levels of the aquaporin-related genes CsPIP2-4 increased, and the transcript levels of the aquaporin-related genes CsPIP2-5 and CsPIP2-7 decreased compared with no drought stress. Under moderate drought stress, CO2 enrichment decreased ABA content and the transcript level of CsPIP2-4, increased root biomass and GA content and the transcript level of CsPIP2-7, improved contribution rate of cell-to-cell water transport (mediated by aquaporins) and roots hydraulic conductivity. In summary, drought stress changed the water transport capacity of the roots and inhibited the growth of cucumber seedlings. CO2 enrichment regulated phytohormone contents and aquaporin-related gene expression, maintained the normal contribution rate of cell-to-cell water transport, and improved the root biomass and hydraulic conductivity, thereby alleviated the negative effects of drought stress on cucumber seedlings.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has attracted much attention owing to its potential for addressing the shortage of freshwater. Low-cost and high-efficiency photothermal conversion materials are the key to the application. A low-cost lotus leaf-based carbon film (LLC) for use as a photo-to-heat conversion medium for solar-driven steam generation was prepared by the simple vacuum filtration of LLC obtained at a carbonization temperature of 800 oC using a porous fibrous filter paper. In a laboratory-made solar steam generation real-time test system using commercial polystyrene foam as the insulation layer and the LLC film on porous fibrous filter paper as the water transport path, the LLC film exhibits a solar-driven water evaporation rate of 1.30 kg/m2 h and a solar-vapor conversion efficiency of 77.5%. The LLC film also shows excellent performance in seawater desalination and sewage purification. The work provides a possible route for the use of low-cost and environmentally friendly biomass-based carbon materials in solar-driven steam generation.