Biomimetic Light-Driven Aerogel Passive Pump for Volatile Organic Pollutant Removal

Inspired by the solar-light-driven oxygen transportation in aquatic plants, a biomimetic sustainable light-driven aerogel pump with a surface layer containing black manganese oxide (MnO2) as an optical absorber is developed. The flow intensity of the pumped air is controlled by the pore structure of nanofilbrillated cellulose, urea-modified chitosan, or polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels. The MnO2-induced photothermal conversion drives both the passive gas flow and the catalytic degradation of volatile organic pollutants. All investigated aerogels demonstrate superior pumping compared to benchmarked Knudsen pump systems, but the inorganic PMSQ aerogels provide the highest flexibility in terms of the input power and photothermal degradation activity. Aerogel light-driven multifunctional gas pumps offer a broad future application potential for gas-sensing devices, air-quality mapping, and air quality control systems.

Automated summary

Inspired by the solar-light-driven oxygen transportation in aquatic plants, a biomimetic sustainable light-driven aerogel pump has been developed. This pump contains a surface layer with black manganese oxide as an optical absorber and controls the flow intensity of the pumped air by the pore structure of nanofilbrillated cellulose, urea-modified chitosan, or polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels. The pump utilizes MnO2-induced photothermal conversion to drive both passive gas flow and catalytic degradation of volatile organic pollutants. Compared to benchmarked Knudsen pump systems, all investigated aerogels exhibit superior pumping performance, with inorganic PMSQ aerogels providing the highest flexibility in terms of input power and photothermal degradation activity. Aerogel light-driven multifunctional gas pumps have a promising future for various applications such as gas-sensing devices, air-quality mapping, and air quality control systems.