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Facile construction of a Janus carbon nanotube/cellulose membrane for solar evaporation and dye wastewater purification

Polymer Journal (2026) Cite this article

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Abstract

Freshwater scarcity has become among the most critical global challenges in recent years because of the rapid increase in the human population, economic growth, and industrial development. In response, solar evaporation using effectual converters for seawater desalination and wastewater purification has emerged as one of the most promising solutions. Accordingly, in this study, a simple filtration approach for fabricating low-cost, self-floating photothermal converters composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and filter paper is presented. The prepared Janus CNT@cellulose membrane exhibited appropriate wettability and excellent photothermal conversion ability. Under an irradiation of 1 sun (1000 W/m2), the highest evaporation rates of the Janus CNT@cellulose membrane for water and 3.5 wt% NaCl (aq) were 1.68 and 1.56 kg m−2 h−1, respectively. Our materials exhibited outstanding rejection of metal ions and dyes under solar evaporation. Its low cost, good solar evaporation performance, and easy preparation make the Janus CNT@cellulose membrane promising for use in the fields of freshwater production and wastewater purification.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported financially by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, Republic of China (NSTC 114-2221-E-110-01 and NSTC 113-2640-E-110-004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Advanced Semiconductor Packaging and Testing, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Chih-Feng Wang

  2. Department of Materials and Optoelectronic Science, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

    Chih-Feng Wang & Shiao-Wei Kuo

  3. Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Advanced Membrane Materials Research Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Fshatsion Berhane Gessesew, Wei-Song Hung, Chien-Chieh Hu & Juin-Yih Lai

  4. Department of Chemical Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Chi-Jung Chang

  5. R&D Centre for Membrane Technology, Chung Yuan University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Juin-Yih Lai

  6. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Juin-Yih Lai

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  1. Chih-Feng Wang
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  2. Fshatsion Berhane Gessesew
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Correspondence to Chih-Feng Wang.

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Wang, CF., Gessesew, F.B., Hung, WS. et al. Facile construction of a Janus carbon nanotube/cellulose membrane for solar evaporation and dye wastewater purification. Polym J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-026-01189-y

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