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[Display omitted] The creation of high-performance thermal insulation and flame-retardant materials is of great importance for minimizing energy consumption and reducing fire risk for modern buildings. Herein, we report the creation of a new composite aerogel, which was prepared by incorporation of 9,10-Dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-Oxide-3-Aminopropyl triethoxysilane (DOPO-KH550) modified hollow glass microspheres (HGM) into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using citric acid as a cross-linker, as a kind of thermal insulation and flame retardant materials (abbreviated as PVA-DKHGM). The as-synthesized PVA-DKHGM composite exhibits superior thermal conductivity of 0.0187 W m−1 K−1, owing to the hollow structure of the hollow glass microspheres and rich porosity. Besides, it reaches V-0 level at the UL-94 test and the peak heat release rate (pHRR) was measured to be 114.93 (kW/m2) which is lower than most composites now. These results are attributed to the synergy effect of the hollow glass microsphere and DOPO-KH550 which offers the composites aerogel excellent flame retardancy. Owing to its advantages such as lightweight, highly porous, thermally stable, simple to prepare, high mechanical strength, and can be further scaled up, our PVA-DKHGM aerogel may hold great potential for practical applications in construction of energy-saving modern buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A multifunctional self-floating photothermal materials (CS-CMPsHM) were synthesized. • The CS-CMPsHM are capable of adsorption antibiotics by interfacial steam generation. • The improved adsorption was due to specific π-π electron-donor–acceptor interactions. • Wastewater purification was achieved in simulated and actual water samples. • The inhibitory effect of the collected water on plant growth was significantly reduced. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) technology holds the promise of purification and removal of organic pollutants from water samples. In this work, an efficient SDIE composed of multifunctional self-floating photothermal materials based on candle soot-coated conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres (CS-CMPsHM) for treatment of tetracycline (TC) wastewater is reported. By depositing candle soot nanoparticles, CS-CMPsHM achieved excellent interfacial evaporation performance by extending the light absorption. Additionally, the π-π interaction between CMP's unique conjugated network and TC molecules and the well-developed porosity facilitates the capture of target contaminants. The synthesized CS-CMPsHM evaporator demonstrated remarkable properties, i.e., excellent photothermal performance (with superior photothermal conversion efficiency up to 94 % and evaporation rate of 1.55 kg m−2h−1 under one sun irradiation), extremely low wet thermal conductivity (0.075 W m-1K−1), reusability, superior salt resistance, stability, adsorption of pollutants and renewable performance. Furthermore, CS-CMPsHM remains its excellent purification performance from real water samples (the Yellow River) measured by a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrometer. The results of biological toxicity show that the purified water recovered by the SDIE method effectively reduced the phytotoxicity of TC. With its straightforward and scalable manufacturing process, our CS-CMPsHM demonstrates promising potential as advanced photothermal materials for the treatment of various pollutants using SDIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The inevitable intermittency of solar illumination during the interfacial evaporation process can cause a reduction in the evaporation performance of solar evaporators. Here, we report the fabrication of a new solar-driven interfacial evaporator using MXene nanosheets as the photothermal layer, modifying them with conjugated microporous polymer hollow microspheres, and then compounding them with the phase change material, in this case, cetyl alcohol, to form a composite evaporator (CE) that can perform all-weather solar interfacial evaporation. By combining interfacial evaporation photothermal conversion with energy storage, the evaporator achieves an evaporation rate of 1.57 kg⋅m−2⋅h−1 at a light intensity of 1 kW⋅m−2 and 2.79 kg⋅m−2⋅h−1 at a light intensity of 2 kW⋅m−2. In addition, the evaporator attains an excellent solar evaporation efficiency of over 91% in both cases and even in salt water. In addition, interestingly, our CE exhibits excellent continuous evaporation ability, e.g., the mass of evaporated water was increased by 0.36 kg⋅m−2 at a light intensity of 2 kW⋅m−2 compared to the cavity evaporator without the phase change material (PCM) when solar light was turned off. These results could be attributed to the fact that the energy released by the incorporated phase change material allows the evaporator to maintain stable evaporation under conditions of insufficient or intermittent solar irradiation, potentially providing a new opportunity for addressing the intermittent problem of evaporation at the solar interface due to unstable light intensity, thus showing great potential for practical continuous desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Synthesis of RCMP@TD-HA with HGM and CMP composite PCM. • RCMP@TD-HA has good light absorption and energy storage capacity. • The RCMP@TD-HA can continue to evaporate after the light source is dimmed. • O-RCMP@TD-HA achieves a 90% evaporation efficiency in oily water. Interfacial evaporation technology powered by solar energy is a clean and efficient solution for various scenarios, including seawater desalination, wastewater treatment, and sterilization. However, the intermittent nature of sunlight remains a challenge that must be overcome. In this study, a novel solar interfacial evaporator (CE) was prepared by mixing reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with conjugated microporous polymer hollow spheres (CMP-H) containing the phase change material tetradecanol (TD) and made into a coating, which was coated on an aerogel made of hollow glass microspheres (HGM). The evaporator has an evaporation rate of 1.68 kg·m−2·h−1 at 1 sun irradiation. In addition, our CE demonstrated exceptional continuous evaporation capabilities. For instance, after exposing the CE to two solar intensities for one hour and then turning off, the mass of evaporated water in our CE increased by 0.76 kg·m−2 compared to the CE without phase change material (PCM) until the surface temperature of the CE returned to its initial temperature. Furthermore, to enhance its versatility, the material has been modified to be oleophobic. The modified evaporator material was immersed in oil for 10 min. It was then evaporated in both oily water, achieving an evaporation rate of 1.62 kg·m−2·h−1 at 1 sun irradiation. These distinctive characteristics of our CE not only offer a novel solution to the constraints of the solar interfacial evaporation process caused by the intermittent nature of sunlight but also facilitate the efficient evaporation of oily wastewater, thus expanding the range of solar interfacial evaporation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]