Patent for a Solar Driven Evaporation Device for Water Desalination
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng was awarded a patent for “Solar-driven evaporation device for desalination system.”
Abstract Source: USPTO
A floatable interfacial solar-driven evaporation structure includes a water impervious thermal insulation layer adapted to float on a body of water, a porous absorber layer on the water impervious thermal insulation layer, and an interlocked non-woven cotton fiber layer having a portion thereof between the water impervious insulation layer and the porous absorber layer and one or more additional portions configured to extend to the body of water to act as a capillary-driven pump to transport water from the body of water to the porous absorber layer. An ultra-black photothermal paint covers the exposed upper surface of the porous absorber layer to convert solar radiation impinging on the ultra-black photothermal paint into heat for use in generating water vapor from water in the porous absorber layer.
