The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 15, 2025
Filed:
Aug. 25, 2021
Northeastern University, Boston, MA (US);
Soleeva Energy, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Yi Zheng, Canton, MA (US);
Ralph Ahlgren, San Jose, CA (US);
Mohamed Sonbaty, San Jose, CA (US);
Khushnood Ahmad Qazi, Los Altos, CA (US);
Northeastern University, Boston, MA (US);
Soleeva Energy, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
An interconnected open-pore 2.5D Cu/CuO foam-based photothermal evaporator capable of achieving a high evaporation rate of 4.1 kg mhunder one sun illumination by exposing one end of the planar structure to air is disclosed. The micro-sized open-pore structure of Cu/CuO foam allows it to trap incident sunlight, and the densely distributed blade-like CuO nanostructures effectively scatter sunlight inside pores simultaneously. The inherent hydrophilicity of CuO and capillarity forces from the porous structure of Cu foam continuously supply sufficient water. Moreover, the doubled working sides of Cu/CuO foam enlarge the exposure area enabling efficient vapor diffusion. The feasible fabrication process and the combined structural features of Cu/CuO foam offer new insight into the future development of solar-driven evaporators in large-scale applications with practical durability.