Enhancement in photothermal conversion property of polypyrrole-decorated polyurethane/zirconium carbide fibrous membrane

Photothermal membranes can harvest and convert light irradiation into heat energy, which has been widely applied in seawater desalination, thermal management, thermoelectric power generation, etc. However, it is still a challenge to prepare the photothermal membranes with certain mechanical properties and air permeability while ensuring high photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, we propose a porous polypyrrole-decorated polyurethane/zirconium carbide fibrous membrane (PPy-PU/ZrC) through electrospinning and in situ polymerization. The PU/ZrC fibrous membranes prepared via an electrospinning process have a multi-fiber stacked structure, which is helps to the formation of the base of porous PPy-PU/ZrC membranes. Furthermore, PPy was bonded to the surface of PU/ZrC fibers by in-situ polymerization. It is worth noting that the surface temperature of PPy-PU/ZrC membranes can increase to 78 °C after exposure to infrared radiation for 150 s and the photothermal conversion of porous PPy-PU/ZrC membranes can reach up to 84.6% after exposure to 980 nm laser radiation. Besides, the wettability, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the composite membranes could be improved when PPy was added. The results demonstrated PPy-PU/ZrC membranes with eligible mechanical property and air permeability and excellent photothermal conversion property may have promising potentials in the application of thermal management devices, seawater desalinators, thermoelectric generators and so on.