Enhancing the efficiency of solar interface distillation and the removal of low-concentration s-VOCs using CuFC/SiO2-SH nanofibers

Solar interfacial distillation has emerged as a widely recognized method for producing clean water due to its environmentally friendly and energy-efficient attributes. Nevertheless, the presence of semi-volatile organic compounds (s-VOCs) in wastewater can significantly compromise the quality of the purified water. This study presents the preparation of multifunctional fiber evaporators (CuFC/SiO 2 -SH NFs) by growing copper ferrocyanide (CuFC) on the surface of shell-belt-shaped thiol-functionalized SiO 2 nanofibers (SiO 2 -SH NFs). The CuFC particle layer functions both as a photothermal component and as a heterogeneous Photo-Fenton catalyst, facilitating the in-situ degradation of s-VOCs during photothermal evaporation. The composite nanofibers demonstrated a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 84.90 % under 4-sun illumination. Furthermore, they achieved a degradation efficiency exceeding 99 % for low-concentration nitrobenzene (NB) solutions (0 ∼ 1 mg/L). This study underscores the potential of CuFC/SiO 2 -SH NFs as an effective material for solar water purification and offers valuable insights into optimizing the Photo-Fenton reaction for environmental applications.