Titanium nitride nanoparticle embedded membrane for photothermal membrane distillation

Abstract To meet the increasing worldwide need for freshwater, it has become critical to exploit non-potable saline water. Solar membrane distillation (MD) is a promising desalination technique, which does not require conventional energy and can reduce the cost of water production. We developed a cost-effective and high-efficiency photothermal membrane that employs TiN nanoparticles as an absorber of sunlight and energy converter. Due to a strong photothermal effect, the solar energy efficiency significantly improved. With optimal membrane and MD operating conditions, we obtained an MD flux of 0.940 kg/m2∙h and a solar efficiency of 64.1% under 1.0 kW/m2 solar irradiation. Compared with a bare poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane, 65.8% more pure water was produced. Furthermore, the temperature polarization encountered in the conventional MD process was relieved on account of the unique interfacial heating of the photothermal coating, which also contributed to the high solar efficiency. In addition, the membrane was quite stable and the permeate water was of a high, potable quality. The as-prepared photothermal membrane demonstrated a good performance and application prospects for solar MD.