A flexible sanded cotton fabric coated with Au@polypyrrole for seawater desalination

Nowadays, freshwater has increasingly become a scarce resource. Seawater distillation is limited due to the high costs and low conversion rates. Herein, a functional cotton fabric with significant photothermal properties was prepared through a simple sanding treatment, followed by a polypyrrole (PPy) and Au nanoparticles coating. The functional materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis. The solar water evaporation measurements showed that the sanded cotton fabrics coated Au@PPy exhibited excellent photothermal conversion with an energy efficiency being 93.38 % for solar-steam generation under 1.0 sun irradiation, corresponding to a water evaporation rate of 1.33 kg·m−2·h−1. Moreover, the coated fabric also exhibited excellent tolerance to acidic and alkaline conditions.