Abstract
Scalable and energy-efficient fabrication methods are essential for the practical deployment of solar-driven interfacial evaporator. Herein, a novel and scalable CO_2-puffing drying strategy is presented to construct high-performance biomass-based solar evaporator with hierarchical porous architectures. Compared to traditional freeze-drying, this method significantly reduces energy consumption and processing time while preserving mechanical integrity and enhancing pore interconnectivity. The resulting carbonized potato evaporator, further functionalized with poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PNaSS), exhibits exceptional photothermal performance, achieving an evaporation rate of 3.46 kg∙m~(-2)∙h~(-1) and a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 98.67% under 1 sun. The multiscale interconnected pore structure promotes rapid water transport, effective salt backflow, and thermal localization. Notably, the evaporator shows excellent salt resistance and long-term stability during cyclic operation and outdoor testing. This work offers a cost-effective and scalable pathway for producing bio-derived solar evaporator, providing new insights into sustainable freshwater harvesting and desalination technologies.
NETL
NSTL
Wiley