Photothermal Materials Research Articles

Molecular Engineering of Corrole Radicals by Polycyclic Aromatic Fusion: Towards Open‐Shell Near‐Infrared Materials for Efficient Photothermal Therapy

AbstractOpen‐shell radicals are promising near‐infrared (NIR) photothermal agents (PTAs) owing to their easily accessible narrow band gaps, but their stabilization and functionalization remain challenging. Herein, highly stable π‐extended nickel corrole radicals with [4n+1] π systems are synthesized and used to prepare NIR‐absorbing PTAs for efficient phototheranostics. The light‐harvesting ability of corrole radicals gradually improves as the number of fused benzene rings on β‐pyrrolic locations increases radially, with naphthalene‐ and anthracene‐fused radicals and their one‐electron oxidized [4n] π cations exhibiting panchromatic visible‐to‐NIR absorption. The extremely low doublet excited states of corrole radicals promote heat generation via nonradiative decay. By encapsulating naphthocorrole radicals with amphiphilic polymer, water‐soluble nanoparticles Na‐NPs are produced, which exhibit outstanding photostability and high photothermal conversion efficiency of 71.8 %. In vivo anti‐tumor therapy results indicate that Na‐NPs enable photoacoustic imaging of tumors and act as biocompatible PTAs for tumor ablation when triggered by 808 nm laser light. The “aromatic‐ring fusion” strategy for energy‐gap tuning of corrole radicals opens a new platform for developing robust NIR‐absorbing photothermal materials.

Molecular Engineering of Corrole Radicals by Polycyclic Aromatic Fusion: Towards Open-Shell Near-Infrared Materials for Efficient Photothermal Therapy.

Open-shell radicals are promising near-infrared (NIR) photothermal agents (PTAs) owing to their easily accessible narrow band gaps, but their stabilization and functionalization remain challenging. Herein, highly stable π-extended nickel corrole radicals with [4n+1] π systems are synthesized and used to prepare NIR-absorbing PTAs for efficient phototheranostics. The light-harvesting ability of corrole radicals gradually improves as the number of fused benzene rings on β-pyrrolic locations increases radially, with naphthalene- and anthracene-fused radicals and their one-electron oxidized [4n] π cations exhibiting panchromatic visible-to-NIR absorption. The extremely low doublet excited states of corrole radicals promote heat generation via nonradiative decay. By encapsulating naphthocorrole radicals with amphiphilic polymer, water-soluble nanoparticles Na-NPs are produced, which exhibit outstanding photostability and high photothermal conversion efficiency of 71.8 %. In vivo anti-tumor therapy results indicate that Na-NPs enable photoacoustic imaging of tumors and act as biocompatible PTAs for tumor ablation when triggered by 808 nm laser light. The "aromatic-ring fusion" strategy for energy-gap tuning of corrole radicals opens a new platform for developing robust NIR-absorbing photothermal materials.

Plasmon-Mediated Solar Steam Generation over Au@Cu7S4 Yolk@Shell Nanocrystals

In recent years, solar steam generation has attracted extensive attention because it can address the shortage of water resources. Traditional techniques enabling solar steam generation are based on heating water under concentrated solar irradiation, suffering from low solar to heat conversion efficiency. By exploiting the heat localization effect from photothermal materials, the efficiency of solar steam generation can be significantly improved. Similarly, electromagnetic field confinement induced by plasmonic materials has also proven efficient for promoting solar steam generation. In this study, Au@Cu7S4 yolk@shell nanocrystals were prepared and employed as plasmonic mediums for superior solar steam generation. Here, Au was a typical plasmonic metal showing a plasmon resonance peak around 550 nm. Cu7S4, on the other hand, represented a self-doped plasmonic semiconductor capable of absorbing photons beyond 1000 nm. The combination of Au and Cu7S4 in Au@Cu7S4 nanocrystals allowed a broadband light absorption across the visible and near infrared regions. The superior solar steam generation over Au@Cu7S4 was attributed to the broadband light absorption and the enhanced solar to heat conversion efficiency rendered by the combined plasmonic effects of Au and Cu7S4.

Recent Advances and Challenges of Metal‐Based Materials for Solar Steam Generation

AbstractGlobal energy and environmental problems are becoming increasingly prominent, and the shortage of freshwater resources has been plaguing many countries and regions in the world. Solar steam generation (SSG) has emerged as a green, low‐cost and efficient strategy for freshwater production, which has attracted enormous attention in recent years. Furthermore, various photothermal materials and structural designs for the preparation of efficient SSG systems have been widely reported. Among them, metal‐based photothermal materials are abundant, and the exploration on metal‐based SSG systems is one of the important research directions. In this review, the basic concepts and design objectives of current metal‐based SSG systems are first introduced, as well as advances in the recent development of metal‐based photothermal materials, including photothermal mechanisms, and preparation methods. The evaluation criteria of the SSG system are further described. Then the development of metal‐based SSG systems is summarized in terms of structural design, functional modules (light absorption, thermal management, water transport, salt rejection, etc.), and potential applications (wastewater treatment, sterilization and other fields). Finally, the main challenges and future prospects of metal‐based SSG systems in basic research and practical applications are emphasized.

Highly Efficient Photothermal Icephobic/de-Icing MOF-Based Micro and Nanostructured Surface.

Photothermal materials have gained considerable attention in the field of anti-/de-icing due to its environmental friendliness and energy saving. However, it is always significantly challenging to obtain solar thermal materials with hierarchical structure and simultaneously demonstrate both the ultra-long icing delay ability and the superior photothermal de-icing ability. Here, a photothermal icephobic MOF-based micro and nanostructure surface (MOF-MNS) is presented, which consists of micron groove structure and fluorinated MOF nanowhiskers. The optimal MOF-M250 NS can achieve solar absorption of over 98% and produce a high temperature increment of 65.5°C under 1-sun illumination. Such superior photothermal-conversion mechanism of MOF-M250 NS is elucidated in depth. In addition, the MOF-M250 NS generates an ultra-long icing delay time of ≈3960 s at -18°C without solar illumination, achieving the longest delay time, which isn't reported before. Due to its excellent solar-to-heat conversation ability, accumulated ice and frost on MOF-M250 NS can be rapidly melted within 720 s under 1-sun illumination and it also holds a high de-icing rate of 5.8kg m-2 h-1 . MOF-M250 NS possesses the versatility of mechanical robustness, chemical stability, and low temperature self-cleaning, which can synergistically reinforce the usage of icephobic surfaces in harsh conditions.

Efficient Solar Desalination of Seawater Using a Novel Carbon Nanotube-Based Composite Aerogel.

Solar desalination of seawater is an effective approach to address the scarcity of freshwater resources. For solar steam generation, it is critical to design biodegradable, sustainable, low-cost, and high-evaporation-rate technology. This study aims to develop a novel solar desalination technology by designing and fabricating a nanocomposite material with excellent light absorption and thermal conversion properties. We designed a double-layer aerogel structure, which uses naturally abundant carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the basic skeleton to achieve sustainability and biodegradability, and uses carbon nanotubes as the photothermal material for efficient light absorption to prepare a ferric tannate/carbon nanotube/carboxymethyl cellulose composite aerogel (FT-CNT-CMC aerogel). Experimental results demonstrate that the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel exhibits a high light absorption rate of 96-98% within the spectral range of 250-2400 nm, showcasing remarkable photothermal conversion performance. Under a sun intensity of 1 kW·m-2, the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel achieves a significant evaporation rate of 1.942 kg·m-2·h-1 at room temperature. Moreover, the excellent performance of the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel is validated in practical seawater desalination and organic dye wastewater purification. The FT-CNT-CMC aerogel exhibits a retention rate exceeding 99% for Na+, Mg2+, K+, and Ca2+ ions in simulated seawater, while no characteristic absorption peaks are observed in methylene blue and rhodamine B dye solutions after purification. These findings highlight the promising potential of the FT-CNT-CMC aerogel in the field of novel solar desalination, providing a viable solution to obtain freshwater.

Configurations Manipulation of Electrospun Membranes Based on High‐Entropy Alloys–Enabled High‐Performance Solar Water Evaporation

Solar‐driven interfacial steam technology converts photons into heat energy directly and therefore realizes the effective removal of environmental pollutants, which presents huge potential in seawater desalination and freshwater production. To realize efficient and rapid solar‐driven water evaporation, developing and designing efficient photothermal conversion materials is of great significance. Herein, a high‐entropy alloy (HEA) fiber membrane with rapid heating and wide spectral response is synthesized via adjusting high‐entropy metals diffusion on the surface of carbon nanofibers by an electrospinning technology. Benefiting from the low equivalent evaporation enthalpy and high solar spectrum capacity of HEA fibers, the HEA (FeCoNiCuMn)‐carbon nanofiber‐5S2 achieves a rapid steam‐generation rate of 2.74 kg m−2 h−1 with a solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency of 99.4% under 1 sun illumination. In addition, the evaporator presented a stable seawater desalination and wastewater purification performance. Therefore, the HEA‐based solar evaporator can be an alternative photothermal material for efficient solar steam generation.

Selective Construction of Borromean Rings andTweezer‐LikeMolecular Assembly Featuring Cp*Rh/Ir Clips forNear‐InfraredPhotothermal Conversion†

Comprehensive SummaryMaking full use of coordination‐driven self‐assembly strategy, we herein described the selective synthesis of a molecular Borromean rings and two cases of “U”‐shaped tweezer‐like molecular assemblies in high yield by using bipyridyl ligands based on biphenyl unit and half‐sandwich binuclear rhodium(III)/iridium(III) building blocks. The selective synthesis was realized by adjusting the length of dipyridyl arms. The utilization of curved U‐shaped bipyridyl ligandL1led to tweezer‐like molecular assemblies. Subsequently, olefinic bonds were introduced to elongate dipyridyl arms obtaining ligandL2. The ligandL2has two stable conformations, U‐shape and Z‐shape, which facilitated the formation of different topologies including the tetranuclear macrocycle and Borromean rings with different building blocks in this work. These structures in solid and solution all have been further confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, NMR analysis, and mass spectrometry. In addition, as an important driving force, π‐π stacking interactions not only played a significant role in the stability of structures but also further triggered photothermal conversion in solution. The experimental results demonstrated that compounds1aand2had good NIR photothermal conversion efficiency (11.83% and 17.76%), and further analysis found the photothermal conversion efficiency had a gradual increase in the trend with the π‐π stacking interactions increasing. This research expands the application of topological structures in materials science and provides a new idea for the synthesis of novel photothermal conversion materials.

Nb2CTX/graphene aerogels for efficient solar-driven steam generation

The development of high-efficiency photothermal conversion materials for seawater desalination is crucial to mitigating the global freshwater shortage crisis. The present investigation is aimed to prepare three-dimensional cylinder Nb2CTX/graphene aerogels (Nb2CTX/GAs) by a combined hydrothermal and freeze-drying process as a photothermal conversion material for solar-driven steam generation. The broad adsorption spectrum, porous microstructure, and excellent hydrophilicity account for the superior photothermal conversion performance of Nb2CTX/GAs. A high evaporation rate of 1.423 kg·m2h−1 was achieved as well as an exceptional solar steam conversion efficiency of 89.6% under one sun irradiation. Furthermore, Nb2CTX/GAs exhibited excellent cyclic stability of photothermal conversion. This work attempts to reveal the great prospect of Nb2CTX/GAs in seawater desalination applications.

A Simple, Mild, and Low‐Cost Method for Preparation of Wood‐Nigrosine in Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporation System

The solar‐driven interfacial evaporation system has attracted much attention in recent years due to its reduced heat loss and accelerated steam generation. As a low‐cost and readily available resource, wood is widely applied as photothermal materials in solar‐driven interfacial evaporation system because of its superior water transfer and heat loss prevention properties. Herein, a simple, mild, and cost‐effective method is employed to fabricate wood‐based photothermal materials. The results demonstrate that the solar absorption rate of wood‐nigrosine is more than 97.5% across a wide wavelength range (200–2500 nm), and an evaporation rate of 1.46 kg m−2 h−1 and evaporation efficiency (86.1%) are achieved under 1‐sun illumination (100 mW cm−2). The solar‐driven interfacial evaporation system based on wood‐nigrosine exhibits strong structural stability and processing capability for dyes and seawater.

Enhancing Freshwater Production via Customizable and Highly Efficient Solar-Driven Seawater Desalination.

Solar-powered water generation is an appealing strategy for cost-effective and energy-sustainable seawater purification/desalination, where rational material selection and device design is crucial. Nevertheless, prevailing carbon-based photothermal materials in such systems still suffer from mediocre steam-to-water efficiency, failing to satisfy an adequate freshwater supply. Herein, we demonstrate a biomimetic corrugated evaporator (CE) affording carbon nanotube (CNT) encapsulated Fe nanocluster-decoration in the pursuit of high-efficiency seawater purification. The thus-customized CE demonstrates a maximum evaporation rate of 4.2 kg m-2 h-1 with a refraction angle of 60° and a water-lifting height of 5.5 cm, outperforming most state-of-the-art carbon-based counterparts. By employing a tailored architectural design and optimized condensing volume, the steam-to-water efficiency increases from 65.8 to 88.2% as the volume enlarges from 0.8 to 5.3 L, further harvesting a peak value of 91% under negative pressure. Light intensity simulation and experimental mechanistic investigation disclose the dual property-performance relationships between evaporator microstructure and evaporation rate, as well as between condensing device volume and steam-to-water efficiency. The universality of the theoretical guidance of this work will offer insight into the development of solar-driven evaporator construction toward simultaneous seawater desalination and clean water generation.

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

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.

Optimizing coupling effect of confined FeNi nanoalloys within graphitic carbon nanofibers to improve photothermal energy conversion efficiency for solar water purification

Sustainable and energy-efficient water purification by harnessing solar energy is critical to tackling the challenges of water scarcity and the on-going water pollution crisis. Nevertheless, the biggest challenge to the practical deployment of solar-driven water purification, however, continues to be the poor solar evaporation efficiency of materials. Herein, FeNi nanoalloys encapsulated in graphitic carbon nanofibers (FeNi3/CNF) using Prussian blue analogue (PBAs) derivatives were fabricated using electrospinning and carbonization. The PBAs metal precursors play a critical role in encapsulating and safeguarding the FeNi alloy nanostructures from oxidation and agglomeration challenges. Furthermore, the synergistic effects between the non-noble hybrid plasmonic nanoalloys and graphitic CNFs can be constructed and optimized from the mass loading of PBAs precursor. Benefiting from the broad solar absorption band, high specific surface area, abundant micro-mesopores, and well-organized interlayer channel, the resultant 2D FeNi3/CNF solar evaporator demonstrates an efficient water evaporation rate of 1.51 kg m-2h−1 with an outstanding solar evaporation efficiency of 93.3 % under one sun irradiation, among the best values reported thus far. Impressively, the resultant 2D FeNi3/CNF solar evaporator can be constructed using only 0.02 kg m−2 loading of photothermal materials without compromising evaporation performance, which highlights its cost-efficiency in the practical application. Furthermore, the desalinated water meets the drinking standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) with an efficient 99 % separation of multiple organic industrial dye pollutants. Hence, this work demonstrates an efficient cost-effective approach to novel non-noble plasmonic alloy-based metal–carbon composites for enhanced solar-driven interfacial evaporation and wastewater purification.

Vacancy defects assist solar interfacial evaporator to realize simultaneously clean water production and pollutant removal

It is crucial for relieving the shortage of clean water in inland to construct an economical photothermal interfacial evaporator with a function of solving the enrichment of dyes during clean water production. Herein, a photothermal interfacial evaporator satisfying the above acquirement is constructed, in which BiOBr with oxygen vacancies (BiOBr-OVs) serves as photothermal material, which lays a foundation for preparation of a photothermal interfacial evaporator with an ability of avoiding dyes aggregation during clean water production. Furthermore, the raw materials except photothermal material and sodium alginate coating of the evaporator are from daily life, which reduces its cost. Importantly, the evaporation rate of the evaporator under one sun illumination is 4.2 times that of pure water (0.39 kg·m−2·h−1). Meanwhile, it also exhibits a purification efficiency of 99.9 % for Rh B solution. Noteworthily, Rh B in bulk water is photodegraded by the evaporator during steam generation under one sun illumination and its photodegradation efficiency is 99.9 %, indicating that the evaporator is capable of preventing dye aggregation during water evaporation. Besides, the evaporator has desalination performance, in which its steam generation rates in 3.5 wt% and 10 wt% NaCl solution are attenuated only by 1.23 % and 3.07 %, respectively, compared with that of in pure water. Meanwhile, the removal efficiency of the evaporator for K+, Na+ and Mg2+ in simulated seawater is 99.98 %.

One-step fabrication of soot particle-embedded fibrous membranes for solar distillation using candle burning-assisted electrospinning

Solar distillation, a promising technique for water purification and desalination, requires photothermal materials to efficiently convert solar energy into heat. In this study, a novel method is proposed wherein fresh carbonaceous (soot) particles, as a photothermal material, are embedded into electrospun fibrous membranes by burning candles (to produce soot) and electrospinning of polymer material simultaneously. The proposed method can produce several types of membranes with various particle positions (interior or exterior) in the polymer fiber. The particle positions were adjusted by changing the introduction points of particles using a polymer jet. Polymer fibers with diameters of several hundred nanometers were fabricated. Experiments revealed that the soot particle position did not influence the photothermal conversion performance of the membranes. The fabricated membrane could improve the heat localization up to 194.5% and exhibited water distillation and desalination rates as high as 1.60 and 1.55 kg m−2h−1, respectively, under 1-sun solar light irradiation. The proposed method opens a new route for the functionalization of polymer membranes.

A Bilayered Wood-Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Polystyrene Sulfonate Hydrogel Interfacial Evaporator for Sustainable Solar-Driven Sewage Purification and Desalination.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation and purification is a promising solar energy conversion technology to produce clean water or solve water scarcity. Although wood-based photothermal materials have attracted particular interest in solar water purification and desalination due to their rapid water supply and great heat localization, challenges exist given their complicated processing methods and relatively poor stability. Herein, we propose a facile approach for fabricating a bilayered wood-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (wood-PEDOT:PSS) hydrogel interfacial evaporator by direct drop-casting and dry-annealing. Benefiting from the unique combined merits of the wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator, i.e., excellent light absorption (~99.9%) and efficient photothermal conversion of nanofibrous PEDOT:PSS and the strong hydrophilicity and fast water transport from wood, the as-fabricated bilayered wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator demonstrates a remarkably high evaporation rate (~1.47 kg m-2 h-1) and high energy efficiency (~75.76%) at 1 kW m-2. We further demonstrate the practical applications of such an evaporator for sewage purification and desalination, showing outstanding performance stability and partial salt barrier capability against a continuous 10-day test in simulated seawater and an ultrahigh ion removal rate of 99.9% for metal ion-containing sewage. The design and fabrication of such novel, efficient wood-based interfacial evaporators pave the way for large-scale applications in solar water purification.

An efficient interfacial solar evaporator featuring a hierarchical porous structure entirely derived from waste cotton

Interfacial solar evaporators are widely used to purify water. However, photothermal materials commonly constituting most interfacial solar evaporators remain expensive; additionally, the inherent structure of the evaporators limits their performance. Furthermore, the large amount of waste cotton produced by the textile industry is an environmental threat. To address these issues, we propose an interfacial solar evaporator, H-CA-CS, with a hierarchical porous structure. This evaporator is made entirely of waste cotton and uses carbon microspheres (CMS) and cellulose aerogel (CA) as photothermal and substrate materials, respectively. Additionally, its photothermal layer (CS layer) has large pores and a high porosity, which promote light absorption and timely vapor escape. In contrast, the water transport layer (CA layer) has small pores, providing a robust capillary effect for water transport. Combined with the outstanding light absorption properties of CMS, H-CA-CS exhibited superior overall performance. We found that H-CA-CS has an excellent evaporation rate (1.68 kg m−2 h−1) and an efficiency of 90.6 % under one solar illumination (1 kW m−2), which are superior to those of many waste-based solar evaporators. Moreover, H-CA-CS maintained a mean evaporation rate of 1.61 kg m−2 h−1, ensuring sustainable evaporation performance under long-term scenarios. Additionally, H-CA-CS can be used to purify seawater and various types of wastewater with removal efficiencies exceeding 99 %. In conclusion, this study proposes a method for efficiently using waste cotton to purify water and provides novel ideas for the high-value use of other waste fibers to further mitigate ongoing environmental degradation.

Near–infrared–excited photothermal–pyroelectric synergy promoted paper–based sensing platform for enhanced photoelectrochemical analysis performance

Exploring and regulating photothermal materials–driven pyroelectric effects may aroused remarkable possibilities for the next generation of in–vitro point–of–care diagnosis. In the pursuit of this goals, the powerful impact of near–infrared light (NIR) has been largely neglected. Herein, a concise yet energetic NIR–excited photothermal–pyroelectric sensing platform had been successfully developed for sensitive let–7a detection. To realize it, the energy harvest was firstly achieved from flexibility polyimide–paper–based electrode on photothermal–pyroelectric. Under NIR irradiation, the photothermal–active matrix of ZnO/AgBiS2 with the electronic configuration and allosteric triple–helix effector with pyroelectric SrTiO3 were switched by fluctuation of thermal–field and pyroelectric–field, facilitating the separation of NIR–responsive carriers. During the process, the effector could regulate the activity of the CRISPR–Cas12a system according to the dose of the let–7a, reasonably leading to the precise quantification of targets with the detection limits of 1.68 fM. Besides, the effect of temperature variation on the sensing platform was investigated, revealing the NIR–excited synergy between photothermal effect and pyroelectric field. This work broadens new horizons towards upgrading the overall performance of photoelectrochemical sensing platform by more efficiently.

Peanut shell-derived photothermal absorber for solar desalination

The development of efficient photothermal materials for solar steam generation (SSG) is important achieving high evaporation rates and efficiencies. Among various materials, biomass-derived photothermal absorbers (PTAs) can convert solar light into heat for solar desalination. This study pioneers the utilization of peanut shell as a renewable resource in solar desalination. Peanut shells, an agricultural waste with meso- and micropores, were utilized as an evaporator for interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG). Although peanut shells are an excellent source of protein, fat, and fiber, they are usually discarded after consumption. In this work, waste peanut shells were carbonized at 600 °C and 1000 °C to prepare carbonized peanut shell powder (CPS). Furthermore, the prepared CPS was coated onto polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges for solar evaporation. The CPS-derived PTAs were hydrophilized with sodium alginate (SA) and cross-linked by using CaCl2 to obtain PVA@SA–CPS evaporators for solar desalination. In the seawater desalination experiment, PVA@SA–CPS–1000 exhibited a stable evaporation rate that lasted for up to 14 cycles. It presented an evaporation rate of 2.16 kg m−2 h−1 with an efficiency of 90.4 % under 1 sun illumination. Sustainability, cost-effectiveness, low greenhouse emissions, and easy adoptability are the other features of CPS utilized for desalination and water treatment.

Easily scaled-up and portable 3D polysulfone hollow fiber membrane tree for high-efficient solar-driven clean water production

Solar-driven water evaporation based on photothermal conversion materials, such as woods, sponges, and membranes, have been proved to be promising in the field of fresh water generation. It's urgent to develop portable, versatile, and efficient photothermal materials for affordable freshwater supply. Here, a hydrophilic polysulfone hollow fiber membrane (PSF HFM) with gradient porous structure and diameter of 50 μm was prepared through one-step phase inversion method. Inspired by nature, a highly efficient 3D solar-driven steam evaporator was fabricated via chemical vapor deposition polymerization (CVDP) of hydrophobic polypyrrole (PPy) on PSF HFMs. With rational 3D structure, capillary-driven water transportation property, optical absorption as high as 95%, heat localization, photothermal conversion, a solar-driven water evaporation rate of 2.6 kg m−2·h−1, and the conversion efficiency of 173.2% could be achieved. Furthermore, the HFM tree with affluent light-harvesting, efficient thermal management, and excellent stability showed a purified water collection efficiency of 14.18 L/(m2·day) in practical application, providing a latent way to boost water purification, regeneration, and desalination.