Hydrophilic carbon nanotube membrane enhanced interfacial evaporation for desalination

Carbon nanotube-based (CNT-based) interfacial evaporation material is one of the most potential materials for solar desalination. Here, we studied the evaporation rate of the CNT-based membranes with different hydrophilic and hydrophobic chemical modified surfaces using molecular dynamic simulations. We found that the hydrogen bonding density among water molecules at the interface is a key factor in enhancing the evaporation rate. For a hydrophilic CNT-based membrane, the strong interactions between the membrane outer surface and the water molecules can destroy the water-water hydrogen bonding interactions at the interface, resulting in the reduction of the hydrogen bonding density, leading to an enhancement effect in evaporation rate. We also found that there is an optimal thickness for evaporation membrane. These findings could provide some theoretical guidance for designing and exploring advanced CNT-based systems with more beneficial performance in water desalination.