Unlocking nanomaterials for next generation solar-driven water treatment technologies

Materials with nanoscale features, or nanomaterials, have received significant research interest in the past 20 years with a large amount of focus on use in solar energy. For instance, a significant number of studies have focused on using nanoparticles suspended in liquids to create direct absorption solar collectors, vapor generation for sterilization, nanoparticles to enhance the properties of photovoltaic cells, and nanoparticles for advanced window thermal control. Not surprisingly, as the number of application of nanomaterials within solar energy has grown, so has the potential application for use in water treatment. Not only do nanomaterials have unique materials properties due to their size, their feature size also makes them particularly attractive for use in water treatment as it aligns well with removal on constituent items. Further, nanomaterials can be tailored to selectively remove individual components enabling multiple treatment functions, and the creation of multifunctional materials. In this chapter, our focus will be devoted to how the wide range of nanomaterial classes can be used in solar and water treatment applications, including: nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanomembranes, along with the potential environmental implications of taking this development path.