Cellulose acetate membrane incorporated with graphite-MoSe2 hybrid for photothermal steam generation and solar desalination

Tharnthip Krasian; Winita Punyodom; Thanaphorn Rakkan; Sukunya Ross; Kittisak Jantanasakulwong; Pornchai Rachtanapun; Sarinthip Thanakkasaranee; Yottha Srithep; Patnarin Worajittiphon

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.148642

Cellulose acetate membrane incorporated with graphite-MoSe₂ hybrid for photothermal steam generation and solar desalination

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Dec;332(Pt 1):148642. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.148642. Epub 2025 Oct 29.

Authors

Tharnthip Krasian¹, Winita Punyodom², Thanaphorn Rakkan¹, Sukunya Ross³, Kittisak Jantanasakulwong⁴, Pornchai Rachtanapun⁴, Sarinthip Thanakkasaranee⁴, Yottha Srithep⁵, Patnarin Worajittiphon⁶

Affiliations

¹ Office of Research Administration, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
³ Biopolymer Group, Center of Excellence in Biomaterials, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand.
⁴ Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Division of Packaging Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Agro Bio-Circular-Green Industry (Agro BCG), Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand.
⁵ Manufacturing and Materials Research Unit, Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, 44150, Thailand.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand; Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand. Electronic address: patnarin.w@cmu.ac.th.

PMID: 41173252
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.148642

Abstract

The growing global population drives increasing freshwater demand, making sustainable seawater desalination critical. This study presents an electrospun biodegradable cellulose acetate (CA) membrane for solar water evaporation. To improve light absorption, photothermal additives, graphite and MoSe₂, were incorporated into the CA membrane. The properties and water production performance of neat CA, graphite-incorporated CA, MoSe₂-incorporated CA, and graphite-MoSe₂ hybrid-incorporated CA membranes were compared. Tensile toughness, vital for membranes under harsh conditions, was highest in the MoSe₂-incorporated CA membrane (103.17 ± 8.54 kJ m^-3), surpassing neat CA (88.58 ± 0.33 kJ m^-3). The graphite-MoSe₂ hybrid membrane (CA/G-MoSe₂) exhibited the highest Young's modulus (11.46 ± 0.40 MPa) compared to neat CA (8.55 ± 0.33 MPa). CA/G-MoSe₂ also demonstrated strong hydrophobicity (water contact angle 139.54 ± 0.44°), enabling it to self-float on water and artificial seawater. The hybrid significantly enhanced light absorption, yielding a light-to-thermal conversion efficiency of 89.91 %. Evaporation rates reached 1.546 ± 0.038 kg m^-2h^-1 (water) and 1.300 ± 0.047 kg m^-2 h^-1 (artificial seawater) under ~1 kW m^-2 infrared light, with a 99.94 % reduction in salt ion concentration. Under sunlight, the solar desalination rate of the composite membrane was 1.730 ± 0.041 kg m^-2 h^-1. These results demonstrate that the CA/G-MoSe₂ membrane is a promising, sustainable solar interfacial evaporator for freshwater production.

Keywords: Cellulose acetate; Desalination; Electrospinning; Graphite; Hybrid material; Membrane; MoSe(2).

MeSH terms

Cellulose* / analogs & derivatives
Cellulose* / chemistry
Graphite* / chemistry
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Membranes, Artificial*
Seawater / chemistry
Solar Energy
Steam*
Sunlight*
Water Purification* / methods

Substances

Graphite
Cellulose
acetylcellulose
Membranes, Artificial
Steam