Photothermal applications based on graphene and its derivatives: A state-of-the-art review

Graphene is one of the most attractive materials due to its unique features, including high aspect ratio, excellent mechanical, thermal, and optical features. Especially, graphene and its derivatives exhibit the significant photothermal effect and are among the prominent candidates for the utilization of solar energy. This article reviews the progress on photothermal applications of graphene and its derivatives. Graphene and its derivatives are expected to be good candidates for a host of applications, such as solar collector, solar-driven water evaporation, photothermal catalysis, photothermal therapy, and photothermal antibacterial. The commercial potential, challenges and research trends of graphene-based photothermal materials are also discussed.