Highly stable, easily regenerable photothermal porous black ceramics used in an energy-efficient bionic system for practical solar-driven interfacial evaporation

Abstract

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising way for renewable energy-driven clean water production, due to its ability to concentrate heat on the evaporation surface and facilitate the evaporation process. Nevertheless, the weak interaction between solar-absorbing materials and porous support substrates has posed a significant challenge in achieving the necessary combination of light absorption, mechanical strength, and long-term stability required for practical solar-driven water evaporation. In this work, we prepared porous black ceramics with both high light absorption and strong structural support, exhibiting a remarkable light absorption of 94% in the solar spectrum. Afterward, inspired by the water transport and evaporation process of mushrooms, we developed an energy-efficient bionic system. The resulting system demonstrates an evaporation rate of 1.41 kg/m2/h under 1 sun illumination (1 kW/m2) and 25 °C, attributable to the heat localization effect. Furthermore, under natural sunlight with an average solar intensity of 0.44 kW/m2, the bionic system exhibits an evaporation rate of 0.7 kg/m2/h. This work not only developed a highly stable, regenerable photothermal material and an energy-efficient bionic system for practical solar-driven water evaporation, but also highlights the immense potential of porous ceramics in advancing the field of solar-driven interfacial evaporation.