Melanin-Inspired Design: Preparing Sustainable Photothermal Materials from Lignin for Energy Generation

Interaction of the conjugated structure in melanin contributed to photothermal conversion. Inspired by this, here, we first demonstrated that lignin nanoparticles (L-NPs) can carry out photothermal conversion, which was attributed to π–π stacking of lignin molecules. Lignin can be readily converted into L-NPs, using the self-assembly method at room temperature. L-NPs showed a stable photothermal effect (22%). The L-NPs were successfully used to power a thermoelectric generator and drive a solar steam generation device under standard 1 sun irradiation (100 mW/cm2). Because thermoelectric generators and solar steam generation technologies have huge potential for energy generation and water purification, the as-prepared L-NPs are expected to provide an important contribution to sustainable energy and clean water production.