This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
Hari Banda,
CT.Muthiah,
Dileshwar Rana,
V G Pratheep,
Jayarama Pradeep,
C Karthikeyan,
Shankramma S. Nesargi,
K.Uma,
Arun K.K,
- Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Villa College, , Maldives
- Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Nowgong Engineering College,Nowgong, Madhya Pradesh, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Velalar College of Engineering and Technology, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
- Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mohamed Sathak A.J .College of Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, KLE Technological University,. Dr. M. S. Sheshgiri Campus, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Prathyusha Engineering College, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kumaraguru college of Technology,Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
Solar-driven water purification requires photothermal materials that simultaneously provide efficient solar absorption, continuous water transport, structural stability, and controllable operation. This work presents a polymer-composite-oriented design based on a porous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO), integrated with flow monitoring for smart solar-driven water purification. PVA functions as the continuous hydrophilic phase, providing capillary water-transport pathways, matrix continuity, and mechanical support, while CNT/GO forms the dispersed photothermal phase responsible for broadband solar absorption and localized heat generation. Glutaraldehyde crosslinking is incorporated to stabilize the hydrated polymer network and limit excessive swelling. The composite architecture emphasizes interconnected porosity, controlled nanofiller dispersion, and polymer–nanocarbon interfacial interactions, particularly hydrogen bonding between PVA and oxygen-containing groups of GO.These characteristics collectively couple water uptake and transport with localized photothermal evaporation while maintaining composite integrity. Literature-supported analysis further highlights the importance of matrix hydrophilicity, pore connectivity, nanofiller distribution, thermal localization, and salt management in polymer/carbon evaporators. An embedded flow sensor is incorporated within the feed-water pathway to support water-delivery monitoring without disturbing the active photothermal surface. The proposed PVA–CNT/GO architecture provides a multifunctional polymer-nanocomposite framework for solar-driven water purification and establishes a materials platform for subsequent experimental validation of photothermal performance, water transport, durability, salt resistance, and purification capability.
Keywords: nanocarbon, photothermal, Glutaraldehyde, nanofiller, hydrophilicity, polymer nanocomposite.
References
1. Li Y, Shi Y, Wang H, Liu T, Zheng X, Gao S, Lu J. Recent advances in carbon‐based materials for solar‐driven interfacial photothermal conversion water evaporation: assemblies, structures, applications, and prospective. Carbon Energy. 2023 Nov;5(11):e331.
2. Zheng J, Zhang X, Yang D, Chen Z, Wang X. Bionic Engineered Structures for Advanced Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporation Desalination: Current Research Advances and Future Challenges. Advanced Functional Materials. 2026 Apr;36(33):e21434.
3. Zhang Y, Wang H, Zhang J. Application of graphene-based solar driven interfacial evaporation-coupled photocatalysis in water treatment. Catalysts. 2025 Mar 31;15(4):336.
4. Asghar MS, Arshad N, Tao J, Irshad MS, Li J, Wang X. Recent advances in multifunctional photothermal materials for solar‐driven steam and energy generation. Energy Technology. 2023 Sep;11(9):2300500.
5. Liu L, Wang X, Jin H, Wang J, Li Q. Carbon nanotube‐derived materials for smart thermal management. Advanced Sustainable Systems. 2025 Feb;9(2):2400757.
6. Zhang J, Hao S, Sun S, Ren W, Wang B, Xiao L, Shao C, Sun RC. Biopolymer-engineered photothermal platforms for sustainable solar-powered water purification and harvesting. Green Chemistry. 2026 Jun 8;28(22):9136-67.
7. Ong WL, Lu W, Zhang T, Ho GW. Integrated functionality of photothermal hydrogels and membranes in solar water, chemical, mechanical, and electrical domains. Advanced Materials Technologies. 2025 Mar;10(6):2401110.
8. Yang J, Lv S, Zuo J, Wang J, Wei D. Recent Advances in Solar‐Driven Photothermal Conversion Hydrogels: A Review. Advanced Sustainable Systems. 2025 Feb;9(2):2400330.
9. Mei J, Jin Y, Huang K, Chen H, Mao Z, Zhang Y, Chen J. Solar-driven electroconductive multifunctional hydrogel with reversible phase transition for water purifying and on-the-fly monitoring purification. Nano Energy. 2025 Oct 1;143:111315.
10. Zhang C, Xue H, Huang Y, Ma Z, Zhao L, Han Y, Tan J, Li H. Research Progress on Material, Preparation, Properties, and Water Purification Applications of Solar Energy‐Driven Hydrogels. Small. 2026 Jun 2:e73993.
11. Bardhan S, Sahoo D, Kalita M, Deb P, Basu T, Rajkhowa S, Kar C, Sukul PK. Carbon dot-integrated hydrogel systems for solar-driven water evaporation and purification: materials design, mechanisms, and recent advances. Materials Advances. 2026 Jun 5.
12. Saha S, Marimuthu A, Basu R, Bassan MK, Basu H. Enhanced photothermal performance of copper nanoparticle-loaded graphene oxide networks for integrated solar-driven water evaporation and energy conversion. Environmental Science: Nano. 2026 May 1;13(5):2468-82.
13. Prasanth S, Lal S, Ha H, Lim S, Pham T, Hwang B. Advances in Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporation: A Review of Carbon‐and Biomass‐Based Absorbers. International Journal of Energy Research. 2026;2026(1):1669262.
14. Zhang C, Liang HQ, Xu ZK, Wang Z. Harnessing solar‐driven photothermal effect toward the water–energy nexus. Advanced Science. 2019 Sep;6(18):1900883.
15. Patel BN, Dongare PR, Bhavsar PS, Devre PV, Nille OS, Patil CS, Prajapat AL, Patole SP, Gore AH. Towards Cleaner, Greener Future: Energy Efficient Sustainable Hydrogel Composites for Solar Driven Photothermal Water Evaporation and Purification. Environmental Chemistry and Safety. 2026 Jul 14.
16. Xu B, Ganesan M, Devi RK, Ruan X, Chen W, Lin CC, Chang HT, Lizundia E, An AK, Ravi SK. Hierarchically promoted light harvesting and management in photothermal solar steam generation. Advanced Materials. 2025 Feb;37(5):2406666.
17. Ibrahim I. Development of Nanostructured Photothermal Materials for Solar Driven Water Evaporation Towards Clean Water Production. University of Technology Sydney (Australia); 2022.
18. Gong B, Yang H, Wu S, Tian Y, Guo X, Xu C, Kuang W, Yan J, Cen K, Bo Z, Ostrikov KK. Multifunctional solar bamboo straw: Multiscale 3D membrane for self-sustained solar-thermal water desalination and purification and thermoelectric waste heat recovery and storage. Carbon. 2021 Jan 1;171:359-67.
19. Liu A, Zhao X, Lu Q, Sun Z, Yu H, Wu B, Pan J, Gao C. Nanostructured photothermal membrane tailored from metal-phenolic network supramolecular platform for solar desalination. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2026 Jan 30:173642.
20. Sumesh KR, Palanisamy S, Khan T, Ajithram A, Ahmed OS. Mechanical, morphological and wear resistance of natural fiber/glass fiber-based polymer composites. BioResources. 2024;19(2):3271-3289.
21. Palanisamy S, Mayandi K, Dharmalingam S, Rajini N, Santulli C, Mohammad F, et al. Tensile properties and fracture morphology of Acacia caesia bark fibers treated with different alkali concentrations. J Nat Fibers. 2022;19(15):11258-11269.
22. Bachtiar D, Mohammed AA, Palanisamy S, Imran AI, Siregar JP, bin Mat Rejab MR, et al. Effect of alkaline treatment on the thermal and mechanical properties of sugar palm fibre reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane composites. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):14085.
23. Palanisamy S, Ayrilmis N, Sureshkumar K, Santulli C, Khan T, Junaedi H, et al. Machine learning approaches to natural fiber composites: a review of methodologies and applications. BioResources. 2025;20(1).
24. Manickaraj K, Karthik A, Palanisamy S, Jayam M, Ali SK, Sankar SL, et al. Improving mechanical performance of hybrid polymer composites: incorporating banana stem leaf and jute fibers with tamarind shell powder. BioResources. 2025;20(1):1998.
Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 06 | ||
| Received | 01/10/2026 | |
| Accepted | 13/10/2026 | |
| Published | 03/11/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 33 Days |