Fe<sup>3+</sup>-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture

Zheng Li; Mu-Tian Yao; Zi-Yang Qiu; Jing-Kun Xu; Bao-Yang Lu

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z

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Fe³⁺-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-02-13

- Fe³⁺-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 3, Pages: 632-643(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics, Flexible Electronics Innovation Institute, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang 330013, China
  b.School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
  c.Institute of Energy Materials and Nanotechnology, Nanchang Jiaotong Institute, Nanchang 330100, China
- Author bio：
  
  luby@jxstnu.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z
  CLC：
- Received：13 November 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-12-24，
  
  Accepted：13 January 2026，
  
  Online First：09 February 2026，
  
  Published：15 March 2026
- Accepted：
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Li, Z.; Yao, M. T.; Qiu, Z. Y.; Xu, J. K.; Lu, B. Y. Fe³⁺-coordinated dual-crosslinked conjugated polymer hydrogels with ultrahigh evaporation rate for efficient desalination and sustainable agriculture. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 632–643 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z.

Zheng Li, Mu-Tian Yao, Zi-Yang Qiu, et al. Fe³⁺-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(3): 632-643. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z.
Li, Z.; Yao, M. T.; Qiu, Z. Y.; Xu, J. K.; Lu, B. Y. Fe³⁺-coordinated dual-crosslinked conjugated polymer hydrogels with ultrahigh evaporation rate for efficient desalination and sustainable agriculture. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 632–643 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z. DOI：

Zheng Li, Mu-Tian Yao, Zi-Yang Qiu, et al. Fe³⁺-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(3): 632-643. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z. DOI：

摘要

This work proposes an iron-aldehyde cooperative dynamic covalent anchoring strategy and develops a MEPH dual-network hydrogel. It simultaneously achieves low water evaporation enthalpy (732 J·g

–1

) and high photothermal conversion performance (95%)

demonstrating significant potential for applications in seawater and wastewater purification as well as sustainable agriculture water management.

Abstract

The development of solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology is pivotal for addressing global water scarcity. However

it is hindered by the difficulty in synergizing high photothermal conversion with low water evaporation enthalpy into a single material. Herein

we propose an ir

on-aldehyde-cooperative dynamic covalent anchoring strategy

successfully constructing a covalently locked

hydroxymethyl-functionalized PEDOT-PVA integrated dual-network hydrogel (MEPH). This strategy employs Fe

to achieve the one-step

in situ

oxidative polymerization of hydroxymethyl EDOT while concurrently forming a physical hybrid network with PVA

which is subsequently reinforced by covalent cross-linking using glutaraldehyde. This design endows the MEPH with exceptional broadband light absorption (

99%)

efficient water transport

and regulated water state within the hydrogel matrix

leading to a reduced evaporation enthalpy of 732 J·g

–1

. The resulting evaporator achieves an ultrahigh evaporation rate of 4.95 kg·m

–2

·h

–1

under 1-sun illumination

corresponding to an energy conversion efficiency exceeding 95%

while maintaining stable

salt-resistant operation in high-salinity environments. Outdoor experiments validate its outstanding practicality for seawater and wastewater purification

with the produced freshwater significantly promoting plant growth

highlighting its great potential in sustainable agricultural water cycles. This iron-aldehyde-cooperative dynamic covalent anchoring strategy provides an innovative design paradigm for a new generation of high-performance and robust solar evaporators.

关键词

Keywords

references

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[World Health Organization. Safe drinking-water from desalination. 2011 .

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Fe3+-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture

DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3543-z

摘要

Abstract

关键词

Keywords

references

Fe³⁺-coordinated Dual-crosslinked Conjugated Polymer Hydrogels with Ultrahigh Evaporation Rate for Efficient Desalination and Sustainable Agriculture