Construction of Graphene@Carbon Nanotubes Heterojunction Photothermal Materials and Their Solar Evaporation Performance

doi:10.6023/A25110384

Acta Chimica Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 84 ›› Issue (3): 333-340.DOI: 10.6023/A25110384 Previous Articles Next Articles

Article

石墨烯@碳纳米管异质结光热材料的构筑及太阳能蒸发性能研究

孙庆磊^a^,^†, 张琦^a^,^†, 金延超^b, 慈海娜^a^,^c^,^*(), 魏振文^b^,^*(), 何燕^a^,^*()

^a 青岛科技大学机电工程学院山东青岛 266061
^b 青岛德固特节能装备股份有限公司山东青岛 266300
^c 山东省橡胶基高性能复合材料与先进制造重点实验室山东济宁 272106

投稿日期:2025-11-26 发布日期:2026-01-20
作者简介:
^†共同第一作者
基金资助:
国家自然科学基金(52202038); 山东省自然科学基金(ZR2022QE081); 山东省高等学校青创团队(2023KJ102); 中国博士后科学基金(2025M770023); 山东省泰山学者(tstp20250505)

Construction of Graphene@Carbon Nanotubes Heterojunction Photothermal Materials and Their Solar Evaporation Performance

Sun Qinglei^a, Zhang Qi^a, Jin Yanchao^b, Ci Haina^a^,^c^,^*(), Wei Zhenwen^b^,^*(), He Yan^a^,^*()

^a College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266061
^b Qingdao Doright Company Limited, Qingdao, Shandong 266300, China
^c Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Rubber-Based High-Performance Composites and Advanced Manufacturing, Jining, Shandong 272106, China

Received:2025-11-26 Published:2026-01-20
Contact: *E-mail: cihn@qust.edu.cn; weizhenwen@doright.biz; heyan@qust.edu.cn
About author:
^†The authors contributed equally to this work
Supported by:
National Natural Science Foundation of China(52202038); Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2022QE081); Youth Innovation Technology Project of Higher School in Shandong Province(2023KJ102); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2025M770023); Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province (China)(tstp20250505)

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Abstract

With the rapid growth of the global economy and the continuous increase in population, freshwater scarcity has become an increasingly critical global challenge. Consequently, the development of efficient and sustainable water purification materials has attracted considerable research interest. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology has emerged as a promising approach for water treatment owing to its effective utilization of renewable solar energy, in which the rational design and fabrication of photothermal materials are of paramount importance. Carbon-based nanomaterials are widely recognized as promising next-generation photothermal materials due to their broadband light absorption, high photothermal conversion efficiency, excellent stability, and tunable structural characteristics. However, the photothermal performance of conventional carbon materials is often limited by insufficient light harvesting, restricted water transport, or slow thermal response. Therefore, constructing advanced carbon-based architectures with synergistic structural and functional characteristics remains a critical challenge. In this study, a graphene@carbon nanotubes (Gr@CNTs) hybrid photothermal material was rationally designed and fabricated by in situ growing Gr nanosheets on a CNT scaffold via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). This hybrid architecture integrates the large specific surface area of two-dimensional Gr with the porous, interconnected framework of one-dimensional CNTs, forming a unique three-dimensional network structure with high surface area and microporosity. Under 3 Sun illumination (3 kW/m²), the surface temperature of the Gr@CNTs material rapidly increased to 138.8 °C within 30 s, indicating an ultrafast photothermal response. After alkaline treatment, a strongly hydrophilic free-standing Gr@CNTs film was obtained and subsequently integrated with a polyurethane sponge to construct a composite solar evaporator. The resulting system achieved a high water evaporation rate of 3.62 kg/(m²•h) and a photothermal conversion efficiency of up to 84.0%. Compared with pristine CNTs materials, the Gr@CNTs hybrid exhibits signifi- cantly enhanced photothermal performance, faster light-response behavior, and improved operational stability. This study provides valuable insights into the rational design of advanced carbon-based photothermal materials and offers a promising strategy for efficient solar-driven evaporation and sustainable water purification applications.

Key words: graphene, carbon nanotubes, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, solar vapor generation

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Sun Qinglei, Zhang Qi, Jin Yanchao, Ci Haina, Wei Zhenwen, He Yan. Construction of Graphene@Carbon Nanotubes Heterojunction Photothermal Materials and Their Solar Evaporation Performance[J]. Acta Chimica Sinica, 2026, 84(3): 333-340.

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Fig. & Tab. 6

Figure 1. (a) Preparation process of Gr@CNTs film. (b), (c) SEM image of Gr@CNTs heterostructure. (d) Raman spectra of CNTs and Gr@CNTs. (e), (f) TEM image of Gr@CNTs heterostructure. (g) Transmittance of Gr@CNTs heterostructure film in the wavelength range of 250~1100 nm. (h) N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of CNTs. (i) N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm of Gr@CNTs. (j) Pore size distribution of CNTs and Gr@CNTs

Figure 2. (a) Infrared thermal images of CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination for 30 s in a dry state. (b) Infrared thermal images of CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination for 60 s in a dry state. (c) Infrared thermal images of Gr@CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination for 30 s in a dry state. (d) Infrared thermal images of Gr@CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination for 60 s in a dry state. (e) Surface temperature change images of CNTs film under individual illumination at 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun over time. (f) Surface temperature change images of Gr@CNTs film under individual illumination at 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun over time

Figure 3. (a) Infrared thermal images of CNTs film at the initial stage of illumination under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun during evaporation. (b) Infrared thermal images of CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination at stable state during evaporation. (c) Infrared thermal images of Gr@CNTs film at the initial stage of illumination under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun during evaporation. (d) Infrared thermal images of Gr@CNTs film under 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun illumination at stable state during evaporation

Figure 4. Comparison of surface stable temperatures of CNTs and Gr@CNTs films under evaporation conditions at 1 Sun, 2 Sun, and 3 Sun

Figure 5. (a) The water contact angles before and after hydrophilic modification of Gr@CNTs film; (b) The photograph of the composite structure formed by bonding Gr@CNTs film with PU sponge after hydrophilic modification

Figure 6. (a) The experimental setup for evaluating solar-thermal photothermal conversion performance. (b) Graph of water evaporation mass versus time for CNTs film under different light intensities. (c) Graph of water evaporation mass versus time for Gr@CNTs film under different light intensities. (d) Comparison of water evaporation rates between CNTs film and Gr@CNTs evaporator under different light intensities. (e) Water evaporation efficiency diagram of CNTs film and Gr@CNTs evaporator under different light intensities. (f) Variation diagram of water evaporation mass with time for Gr@CNTs evaporator in 3.5% NaCl solution.

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石墨烯@碳纳米管异质结光热材料的构筑及太阳能蒸发性能研究

Construction of Graphene@Carbon Nanotubes Heterojunction Photothermal Materials and Their Solar Evaporation Performance

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