Bioinspired photothermal zwitterionic fibrous membrane for high-efficiency solar desalination and electricity generation

Solar-driven desalination holds great promise for addressing the scarcity of global freshwater. However, salt accumulation remains a significant challenge, particularly for two-dimensional membrane materials. Inspired by aquaporins, we design a porous zwitterionic fibrous membrane that selectively transports water while rejecting Na+ and Cl−, achieving efficient evaporation and salt resistance. The incorporation of porphyrin-based conjugated microporous polymers enhances photothermal conversion and antibacterial properties, while zwitterionic groups and porous structure disrupt high-salinity gradients, effectively preventing salt deposition. The membrane achieves an evaporation rate of 2.64 kg m−2 h−1 and a…

• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai

  Award: 23ZR1401100
• CA
  China Association for Science and Technology

  Award: 2023QNRC001
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52373172, 52103106, 2023QNRC001, 52103024, 202413
• SE
  Shanghai Education Development Foundation

  Award: 21CGA40
• SM
  Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

  Award: 21CGA40
• DU
  Donghua University
• SK
  State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials

  Awards: KF2316, KF2306, KF2204
• CS
  Changjiang Scholar Program of Chinese Ministry of Education

  Award: T2023082
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2022YFB3807100
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities