Experimental study on solar seawater desalination based on polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan-based hydrogel

In recent years, researchers have been dedicating their efforts to enhancing the ability of solar energy for higher steam generation rates (SSG) in response to freshwater scarcity. However, the importance of the substrate is often overlooked during the search for photo-thermal materials. Therefore, in this study, scientists have developed a new hydrogel matrix composed of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and Chitosan (CS) for solar steam generation. The prepared PVA/CS/carbon nanotube aerogel composite exhibits high absorbance under 1-sun illumination (1 kW m^–2) and achieves a high evaporation rate of 2.41 Kg m^–2 h^–1.