Sustainable development of graphitic carbon nanosheets from plastic wastes with efficient photothermal energy conversion for enhanced solar evaporation

We demonstrate that by a simple solvothermal treatment followed by carbonization, plastic waste can be turned into graphitic carbon nanosheets, with an excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (99%) that is capable of generating a high evaporation rate (1.50 L m(-2) h(-1) at 1 kW m(-2)) in a solar evaporator, and these are among the best values reported thus far.

Automated summary

By solvothermal treatment and carbonization, plastic waste can be transformed into graphitic carbon nanosheets, exhibiting excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and high evaporation rate in a solar evaporator.