Thermo-adaptive interfacial solar evaporation enhanced by dynamic water gating

作者：Yi Wang, Weinan Zhao, Yebin Lee, Yuning Li, Zuankai Wang, Kam Chiu Tam · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-024-50279-z · 被引用次数：160 · 研究领域：Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods、Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity、Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems

Abstract Solar-driven evaporation offers a sustainable solution for water purification, but efficiency losses due to heat dissipation and fouling limit its scalability. Herein, we present a bilayer-structured solar evaporator ( SDWE ) with dynamic fluidic flow mechanism, designed to ensure a thin water supply and self-cleaning capability. The porous polydopamine ( PDA ) layer on a nickel skeleton provides photothermal functionality and water microchannels, while the thermo-responsive sporopollenin layer on the bottom acts as a switchable water gate. Using confocal laser microscopy and micro-CT, we demonstrate that this unique structure ensures a steady supply of thin water layers, enhancing evaporation by minimizing latent heat at high temperatures. Additionally, the system initiates a self-cleaning process through bulk water convection when temperature drops due to salt accumulation, thus maintaining increased evaporation efficiency. Therefore, the optimized p-SDWE sample achieved a high evaporation rate of 3.58 kg m −2 h −1 using 93.9% solar energy from 1 sun irradiation, and produces 18–22 liters of purified water per square meter of SDWE per day from brine water. This dynamic water transport mechanism surpasses traditional day-night cycles, offering inherent thermal adaptability for continuous, high-efficiency evaporation.