Hydrogel-Encapsulated phase change materials for Enhanced heat storage and water evaporation efficiency

Onggowarsito, C; Zhang, S; Shi, Y; Mao, S; Feng, A; Martins, G; Shao, Z; Wong, EHH; Guo, W; Fu, Q

Hydrogel-Encapsulated phase change materials for Enhanced heat storage and water evaporation efficiency

Onggowarsito, C Zhang, S Shi, Y Mao, S Feng, A

Martins, G Shao, Z Wong, EHH Guo, W Fu, Q

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 513
Issue Date:: 2025-06-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Onggowarsito, C
dc.contributor.author	Zhang, S
dc.contributor.author	Shi, Y
dc.contributor.author	Mao, S
dc.contributor.author	Feng, A https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8444-798X
dc.contributor.author	Martins, G
dc.contributor.author	Shao, Z
dc.contributor.author	Wong, EHH
dc.contributor.author	Guo, W
dc.contributor.author	Fu, Q https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4012-330X
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-30T04:06:36Z
dc.date.available	2025-08-30T04:06:36Z
dc.date.issued	2025-06-01
dc.identifier.citation	Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 513
dc.identifier.issn	1385-8947
dc.identifier.issn	1873-3212
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189527
dc.description.abstract	The solar steam generation (SSG) system is a promising, sustainable, and environmentally friendly technology that has garnered significant attention for its ability to produce freshwater using sunlight as a renewable energy source. However, solar energy is inherently intermittent, as its utilization depends on factors such as time of day and weather conditions, with daytime cloud cover often reducing sunlight intensity and compromising evaporation performance. To address this, we incorporated both hydrophilic and hydrophobic phase-change materials (PCMs) into the top layer of a dual-layer hydrogel (DLH) SSG to enhance heat management. Under solar irradiation, the top evaporating layer generates significant heat, rapidly elevating the surface temperature while the phase change material (PCM) concurrently stores thermal energy. During periods of interrupted solar exposure, the PCM releases stored heat, ensuring continuous water evaporation in the DLH SSG. The system achieved an evaporation rate of 3.52 kg m<sup>–2</sup>h<sup>–1</sup> under one-sun irradiation, corresponding to an efficiency of 83 %, and sustained an evaporation rate of 26 g m<sup>–2</sup> min<sup>–1</sup> of lightless operation. Furthermore, the DLH SSG system facilitates salt removal and sterilization via the bottom layer that contained positively charged polymers, thereby offering an effective and practical approach to seawater desalination or lake water treatment to address critical water scarcity challenges.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT180100312
dc.relation.ispartof	Chemical Engineering Journal
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.cej.2025.162838
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0904 Chemical Engineering, 0905 Civil Engineering, 0907 Environmental Engineering
dc.subject.classification	Chemical Engineering
dc.subject.classification	4004 Chemical engineering
dc.subject.classification	4011 Environmental engineering
dc.subject.classification	4016 Materials engineering
dc.title	Hydrogel-Encapsulated phase change materials for Enhanced heat storage and water evaporation efficiency
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	513
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering
utslib.for	0907 Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-30T04:06:32Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	513

Abstract:

The solar steam generation (SSG) system is a promising, sustainable, and environmentally friendly technology that has garnered significant attention for its ability to produce freshwater using sunlight as a renewable energy source. However, solar energy is inherently intermittent, as its utilization depends on factors such as time of day and weather conditions, with daytime cloud cover often reducing sunlight intensity and compromising evaporation performance. To address this, we incorporated both hydrophilic and hydrophobic phase-change materials (PCMs) into the top layer of a dual-layer hydrogel (DLH) SSG to enhance heat management. Under solar irradiation, the top evaporating layer generates significant heat, rapidly elevating the surface temperature while the phase change material (PCM) concurrently stores thermal energy. During periods of interrupted solar exposure, the PCM releases stored heat, ensuring continuous water evaporation in the DLH SSG. The system achieved an evaporation rate of 3.52 kg m^–2h^–1 under one-sun irradiation, corresponding to an efficiency of 83 %, and sustained an evaporation rate of 26 g m^–2 min^–1 of lightless operation. Furthermore, the DLH SSG system facilitates salt removal and sterilization via the bottom layer that contained positively charged polymers, thereby offering an effective and practical approach to seawater desalination or lake water treatment to address critical water scarcity challenges.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189527