This study aimed to develop a carbon black (CB)@ polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge capable of highly efficient photothermal water evaporation. The sponge was fabricated through a straightforward method that did not entail a high-temperature carbonization process, utilizing a sugar cube as a sacrificial template to create a porous structure, followed by CB incorporation into the PDMS matrix. A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating was used to enhance the hydrophilicity of the sponge, resulting in improved water absorption and distribution. The photothermal performance of the PVA-coated CB@PDMS sponge was evaluated using various contaminated water types, including seawater, muddy water, and Rhodamine-B-contaminated water. The sponge demonstrated water-evaporation rates ranging from 3.28–4.38kg/m²·h, significantly reducing the water-evaporation enthalpy and effectively preventing salt precipitation during seawater desalination. Additionally, it maintained its performance over repeated experiments and demonstrated efficiency improvement over multiple cycles, indicating that its effectiveness increased with repeated use, likely because of surface conditioning and structural stabilization. Moreover, the water recovered from seawater, muddy water, and dye-contaminated water was free of trace contaminants, thereby yielding clean water and demonstrating the suitability of the sponge for water purification and desalination applications.
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