Lignin: a multifunctional and sustainable photothermal material for solar-driven thermoelectric generation and desalination

The abundant aromatic ring structure and a large number of oxygen-containing functional groups in the lignin offer the possibility of achieving excellent photothermal conversion ability and modulating the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Herein, three kinds of the lignin with different functional group content were employed to investigate the potential influence on the particle size and the solution stability of the CuS through two reaction pathways. The result of various characterizations indicated that the higher the oxygen-containing functional group content (4.83 mmol/g) of lignin, the smaller the size of CuS nanoparticles (∼80 nm) in solution. And the smaller and homogeneously dispersed CuS offered a higher surface temperature for the solar-driven heat-generating materials. The regulation mechanism was also proposed based on the result of the molecular dynamics simulation and DFT calculation. Subsequently, the photothermal film (Route2 DTAL-PVA-30) and solar-driven aerogel evaporator (Route2 DTAL-AG3) were successfully prepared using the lignin-guided stabilization solution of CuS nanoparticles. The photothermal conversion efficiency of 49.43% and the equilibrium voltage of 266 mV can be achieved by the Route2 DTAL-PVA-30 under 1 sun using a thermoelectric generator. The Route2 DTAL-AG3 exhibited promising salt-rejecting property and outstanding acid and alkali resistance performance, reaching an evaporation rate of up to 1.93 kg/(m2 h) in the 3.5 wt% seawater under 1sun. This work may provide a novel strategy to realize the regulatory role of lignin in the metal synthesis and achieve the high value-added applications of the lignin.