Solar Illumination Research Articles

Piezo‐Photocatalytic Approach for Pollutant Removal Using PZT‐MgAl LDH‐GO Hierarchical Nanocomposites

AbstractEffective and recyclable water treatment technologies are crucial for practical heavy metal removal. Photocatalysis an improved oxidation process is widely used in energy production and environmental remediation. However, the reaction efficiency of photocatalysis is restricted by the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, and although it is promising under solar light illumination conditions, it remains challenging because of the seasonal variations, weather conditions, and diurnal cycles. Alternatively, piezo catalysis, transferring mechanical to chemical energy, is vital for environmental cleansing and energy regeneration. Therefore, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) with a MgAl layered double hydroxide and graphene oxide (GO) is prepared herein for efficient piezo‐photocatalytic. The proposed material PZT‐MgAl‐GO is used in combination with UV light and sonication to remove hazardous metallic Cr(VI) species. The reduction efficiencies of Cr(VI) increase in the order of PZT<MgAl‐GO<PZT‐MgAl‐GO. The Cr(VI) amount decreases by ≈99% through a process involving both sonication and UV light exposure. The main active species for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) are assumed to be e− and •O2− radicals. With these advantages a high decomposition ratio, simple preparation method, and its use under UV light and sonication PZT‐MgAl‐GO is considered a potential material for removing heavy metals from wastewater.

Highly Efficient Bifacial Narrow Bandgap Ag‐CuInSe2 Solar Cells on ITO

AbstractBifacial CuInSe₂ (CISe) solar cells hold significant promise for various applications but are constrained by relatively low power conversion efficiencies. This study boosts performance through reducing CISe absorber deposition temperature and using low‐Ga back grading for an optimum gallium‐to‐indium ratio (Ga/(Ga+In); GGI) profile. Low deposition temperatures reduced ITO back contact thermal degradation, while low Ga concentration reduced GaOX formation and CISe/ITO charge recombination. Ag incorporation significantly improved key photovoltaic parameters, including open‐circuit voltage (VOC) and fill factor (FF), while reducing Cu2−XSe secondary phase formation. This approach enables high‐quality CISe growth below 420 °C‐substantially lower than conventional temperatures. The study achieves record efficiency in the narrow bandgap CISe category, with Ag‐alloyed devices demonstrating a champion rear‐side efficiency of 8.44% at 390 °C, and a front‐side efficiency of 15.30% at 420 °C. Under the assumption of double‐sided total 2.0 solar illumination in an albedo environment, a champion bifacial power generation density (BPGD) of 23.1 mWcm−2 is achieved. Results indicate that lower deposition temperatures enhance rear‐side performance, highlighting the role of low‐temperature processing, low Ga doping, and Ag alloying in suppressing carrier recombination losses in CISe solar cells.

Analysis of the operation of the algorithm for processing the image of a solar panel to assess its dustiness

Solar power plants are usually located in deserts, where the amount of incident solar energy is maximum. Sandstorms, small animals and birds that leave droppings contaminate the surfaces of solar panels, which leads to a decrease in the panels' power generation. The author has developed an algorithm for processing the panel image to estimate the degree of its output power reduction due to contamination and to make a decision for panel cleaning. This article presents the results of the analysis of the developed algorithm under various solar panel illumination conditions.

Alcogel-Based Interfacial Evaporation for Vertical Thermal Diode-Structured Smart Walls with Radiant Cooling.

Traditional building envelopes with constant thermophysical properties constrain their capabilities in temperature regulation. Whether it is possible to achieve single-direction heat transfer along building envelopes with climate-adaptative thermophysical properties to enhance passive heat gain in winter and thermal dissipation in summer? In this work, through the capillary effect in interfacial evaporation and thermal diode structure, single-direction heat transfer with passively adjustable thermal properties in a vertical building envelope is practically achieved. An evaporation-condensation-based smart wall (ECSW) is manufactured for spontaneous and continuous cooling/heating supply to the built environment. The ECSW features climate-adaptative heat transfer characteristics with heat transfer coefficient transiting from 3.33 to ≈30W m-2 K-1. Additionally, coupling with radiant cooling and photothermal capabilities, ECSW shows excellent thermal performances, i.e., a heat transfer at 5.44W m-2 by radiant cooling with a 5 °C cooler surface, and a heat transfer at 387.68W m-2 under solar illumination at 1000W m-2. Simulation results show that the ECSW enables building energy savings at 66.47% in Kunming. This study first reports vertical thermal diode building envelopes utilizing natural heating/cooling sources through interfacial evaporation for passive temperature regulation with low costs, performance stability and energy-saving potentials for smart and sustainable buildings.

TiO2 Decorated onto Three-Dimensional Carbonized Osmanthus Fragrans Leaves for Solar-Driven Clean Water Generation.

Solar steam generation (SSG) has garnered significant attention for its potential in water purification applications. While composites with physically combined structures based on semiconductors or biomass have been developed for SSG, there remains a critical need for low-cost, high-efficiency devices. In this study, TiO2 composites exhibiting excellent stability, high solar absorption, porous microstructure, and hydrophilic surfaces were identified as effective materials for SSG and water purification for the first time. A novel SSG device was designed by decorating TiO2 onto three-dimensional carbonized Osmanthus fragrans leaves (TiO2/carbonized OFL). Compared to directly carbonized OFL (without TiO2) and Osmanthus fragrans leaves with templated TiO2 (OFL-templated TiO2), the TiO2/carbonized OFL carbon composites demonstrated enhanced solar absorption, achieving over 99% in the visible region and more than 80% in the near-infrared region. Under solar illumination of 1 kW·m-2, the TiO2/carbonized OFL device achieved a high water evaporation rate of 2.31 kg·m-2·h-1, which is 1.6 times higher than that of carbonized OFL and 3.45 times higher than OFL-templated TiO2. Additionally, the TiO2/carbonized OFL system exhibited remarkable efficiency in treating pharmaceutical wastewater, with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 98.9% and an ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency of 90.8% under solar radiation.

Heteroepitaxial Growth of Narrow Band Gap Carbon-Rich Carbon Nitride Using In Situ Polymerization to Empower Sunlight-Driven Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

We describe an in situ-polymerized conformal thin layer coating of narrow band gap carbon-rich carbon nitride (NBG-CRCN) on titania nanorod arrays to design a binary semiconductor heterojunction photocatalyst. The in situ polymerization creates a strong interaction between the TiO2 nanorod substrate and the carbon nitride film, which prevents leaching of CRCN in liquid electrolytes. A unique aspect of our work is developing an easy and inexpensive technique for the heteroepitaxial growth of mechanically and photochemically stable carbon nitride thin films with intimate contact at the CN:TNR heterojunction interface. This method aids in overcoming one of the main problems with carbon nitride (CN), namely, the inability to produce an evenly distributed CN coating on a substrate. The synthesized NBG-CRCN@TNR extends the visible light absorption to 700 nm (Eg = 1.7 eV) and red-shifts the photoluminescence (PL) emission peak to 580 nm. The peak shifts and broadening in the Raman spectra of the NBG-CRCN@TNR hybrid compared to those in TNR confirm an unusually strong interaction between TiO2 and NBG-CRCN. An easy and inexpensive technique to heteroepitaxially grow CRCN (002) on rutile TiO2 (110) is confirmed by advanced characterization. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) suggest the heteroepitaxial growth of (002) CRCN on rutile TiO2 (110). Under AM1.5G solar illumination, the NBG-CRCN@TNR hybrid shows superior performance in photoelectrochemical water splitting, generating a photocurrent density as high as 4.3 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH under 0.6 V external bias, rising to 8.4 mA cm-2 in the presence of a hole scavenger (methanol). An impressive hydrogen evolution rate of 26.51 μmol h-1 with 88.12% Faradaic efficiency is recorded. Establishing a high-quality interface between g-C3N4 and titania permits effective charge carrier separation, leading to enhanced photocatalytic activity.

A Degradable Photo‐Thermal Aerogel with Biomimetic Structure and Selective Wettability for High‐Throughput Recovery of Viscous Crude Oil

AbstractAdsorbents with super‐wettability are deemed as an ideal candidate in treatment of oil spills, however, the recovery of high‐viscous crude oil faces the difficulties of low adsorption efficiency and the recycling burden from waste adsorbents. In this study, inspired by the substances transport channel of stem from colocasia gigantea, a photo‐thermal and flame‐retardant aerogel with super‐hydrophobicity/super‐oleophilicity exhibits a high‐throughout recovery of 548 kg m−2h−1 toward solid‐paste crude oil under the solar illumination of 0.1 W cm−2. These properties are attributed to its optimized aperture distribution and vertically aligned bio‐channel structure, which can be controlled by adjusting freeze‐drying process and feeding ratios of aerogel skeleton between cellulose and chitosan. Significantly, the self‐decomposition of as‐prepared aerogel is demonstrated after burying it in a soil environment, showing the remarkable natural degradability. Additionally, the aerogel maintains a water rolling angle of 8 ± 1° even after the 100 cycles compression test and the immersion in organic solvent (120 h) and corrosive solution (24 h), demonstrating its good mechanochemical durability. This work endows the aerogel adsorbent with selective super‐wettability, degradeability, photo‐thermal conversion, and flame‐retardancy, which are highly demanded in multi‐scenarios oil recovery.

Correction: Fabrication of a novel ZnO/Lu2O3 nanomaterial for the photocatalytic disposal of methylene blue dye under solar cell illumination

Correction: Fabrication of a novel ZnO/Lu2O3 nanomaterial for the photocatalytic disposal of methylene blue dye under solar cell illumination

Eu2O3/CoMnAl-LDH@g-C3N4 ternary S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for hydrogen production under solar light illumination

Eu2O3/CoMnAl-LDH@g-C3N4 ternary S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for hydrogen production under solar light illumination

Development and Testing of a Novel Microstrip Photocathode ICCD for Lunar Remote Raman Detection.

The intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD), known for its exceptional low-light detection performance and time-gating capability, has been widely applied in remote Raman spectroscopy systems. However, existing ICCDs face significant challenges in meeting the comprehensive requirements of high gating speed, high sensitivity, high resolution, miniaturization, and adaptability to extreme environments for the upcoming lunar remote Raman spectroscopy missions. To address these challenges, this study developed a microstrip photocathode (MP-ICCD) specifically designed for lunar remote Raman spectroscopy. A comprehensive testing method was also proposed to evaluate critical performance parameters, including optical gating width, optimal gain voltage, and relative resolution. The MP-ICCD was integrated into a prototype remote Raman spectrometer equipped with a 40 mm aperture telescope and tested under outdoor sunlight conditions. The experimental results demonstrated that the developed MP-ICCD successfully achieved a minimum optical gating width of 6.0 ns and an optimal gain voltage of 870 V, with resolution meeting the requirements for Raman spectroscopy detection. Under outdoor solar illumination, the prototype remote Raman spectrometer utilizing the MP-ICCD accurately detected the Raman spectra of typical lunar minerals, including quartz, olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase, at a distance of 1.5 m. This study provides essential technical support and experimental validation for the application of MP-ICCD in lunar Raman spectroscopy missions.

Synthesis and Evaluation of 3D Nitrogen Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide (3D N@rGO) Macrostructure for Boosted Solar Driven Interfacial Desalination of Saline Water.

Recently, there has been a growing interest in solar-driven interfacial desalination technology, which focuses on the localization of heat to the air-water interface. In this study, 3D nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (3D N@rGO) photothermal material is synthesized with a facile one-step hydrothermal process. The material exhibited richer porosity, high hydrophilicity for efficient water channeling, and all-directional solar absorption potential. The 3D N@rGO solar absorber attained up to ≈55°C surface temperature rise and showed ≈134% photothermal conversion efficiency with 1.94kgm-2h-1 net freshwater generation rate under 1 sun solar illumination, owing to efficient latent heat recycle. On a high salinity desalination study performed using 10 and 20wt.% salinity levels, the photothermal material showed 1.66 and 1.31kgm-2h-1 evaporation rates respectively. It sustained stable long-term desalination performance without visible salt accumulation on the surface up to a salinity level of 10wt.%. In a three-day outdoor test carried out utilizing simulated seawater with a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, the 3D evaporator demonstrated an average freshwater production rate of 2.61kgm-2h-1, during the test the solar power density reached up to 1.1kWm-2. The 3D solar absorber exhibited a promising potential for large-scale seawater desalination in water-scarce regions worldwide.

On-chip solar power source for self-powered smart microsensors in bulk CMOS process

Enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of on-chip solar cells is crucial for advancing solar energy harvesting in self-powered smart microsensors for Internet of Things applications. Here we show that adopting a center electrode (CE) layout instead of a ring electrode (RE) effectively reduces the shadowing effect of surface electrodes. Using a standard 0.18 μm CMOS process, we fabricated a 0.01 mm² segmented triple-well on-chip solar cell with CEs and highly doped interconnections. Measurements demonstrate a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25.79% under solar simulator illumination, a 17.49% improvement over conventional designs. This on-chip solar cell is used for on-chip energy harvesting, achieving a maximum end-to-end conversion efficiency of 10.20%, referring to the overall efficiency from incident light power to load power output. The proposed energy harvesting system reliably provides a stable 1 V output to the load, even under varying illumination and load conditions.

The effect of Si and Nb doping on physical properties of ZnO powder with high photocatalytic performances on the degradation of organic pollutants

AbstractThe dopant elements of ZnO matrix play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of desired properties. Hence, in this article we introduce a comparative study between 1% Si and 1% Nb‐doped ZnO properties. The structural investigation proves the successful preparation of Si and Nb‐ doped ZnO. In addition, the impedance spectra of Nb‐doped ZnO are well adjusted using an equivalent circuit formed by serial contributions of two parallel resistance R and constant phase element (CPE). Thus, we demonstrate that the capacitive behavior is due to improved grain boundary effect. While ZnO:Si impedance spectra are modeled by a circuit formed by a parallel connection of a resistance R and a capacitance C. In addition, ZnO:Nb exhibits thermally activated DC conductivity, while ZnO:Si conductivity is quasi‐independent of temperature. With Si doping, dielectric properties shift to those of an insulator. Moreover, the obtained results prove Nb‐doping can be a promising route to make ZnO a good candidate for applications as thermistor with a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC). In addition, Si, Nb doped ZnO show excellent photocatalytic performances in methylene blue degradation, that reached 97% under solar light illumination for 105 min. This makes them promising candidates for wastewater purification.

Synergistic Metal-Support Interactions in Au/GaN Catalysts for Photoelectrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia.

Metal-support interactions are crucial in the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia (NH3) from nitrate (NO3 -) reduction reaction, enabling efficient NH3 production under mild conditions. However, the complexity of the reaction pathways often limits efficiency. Here, a photoelectrochemical system composed of gold (Au) nanoclusters supported on gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires is introduced, grown on a n+-p Si wafer, for selective reduction of NO3 - to NH3 under solar illumination. NO3 - ions are preferentially adsorbed and reduced to nitrite (NO2 -) on the GaN nanowires, which then transfer to adjacent Au nanoclusters to complete the NH3 synthesis. This mechanism is confirmed by both experimental data and theoretical calculations. Optimizing the surface coverage and size of Au nanoclusters on the GaN nanowires significantly enhanced catalytic activity compared to that on planar n+-p Si photoelectrodes, achieving a faradaic efficiency of 91.8% at -0.4 VRHE and a high NH3 production rate of 131.1µmolcm-2h-1 at -0.8 VRHE. These findings highlight the synergetic effect between metal co-catalysts and semiconductor supports in designing photoelectrodes for multi-step NO3 - reduction.

Reticular Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks with kgd-v Topology and Trirhombic Pores.

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with designable pore structures can be synthesized under the guidance of topology diagrams. Among the five existing edge-transitive topological nets, kgd topology is considered a fine candidate for constructing COFs with ultramicropores. However, all of the reported COFs with kgd topology need the use of C6-symmetric monomers, which are limited in compound type and difficult to synthesize. Here, we first develop a new approach to construct 2D COFs (clv-COFs) with a similar geometrical shape of kgd topology, named kgd-v topology, through the combination of C2v- and C3-symmetric monomers. The size of micropores in these clv-COFs is consistent with the rhombic pores in kgd topology and can be easily tuned by varying the length of C2v- and C3-symmetric monomers. These clv-COFs exhibit excellent atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) ability due to regular small micropores. An efficient water harvester based on clv-COF-1 can produce 1.73 L kg-1 day-1 at 45% relative humidity under solar illumination. Our approach enriches the reticular chemistry and can facilitate the research of COF-based AWH systems.

Effects of Self-Hybridized Exciton-Polaritons on TMDC Photovoltaics.

Hybrid light-matter states called exciton-polaritons have been explored to improve excitonic photovoltaic (PV) and photodiode efficiency, but the use of closed cavity structures results in efficiency gains over a narrow band, with losses in the short circuit current density under solar illumination. In WX2 (X = S, Se), the simultaneous large optical constants and strong exciton resonance can result in self-hybridized exciton-polaritons (SHEPs) emerging from the strong coupling of excitons and optical cavity modes formed by WX2. We perform thickness dependent device characterization of WS2 and WSe2 PVs to show that self-hybridized strong coupling enhances device efficiency on resonance while still enabling broadband absorption, resulting in improved short circuit current density under solar illumination. Ultimately, we leverage strong coupling to achieve external quantum efficiencies as high as 70% and record power conversion efficiencies approaching 7%. This result indicates the utility of SHEPs for light-energy harvesting applications.

Surface Hydroxylated S/O Dual‐Vacancy S‐Scheme Hollow [In2S3‐x/In2O3‐x](OH)y Heterojunction for Photothermal‐promoted Low‐Temperature Methanol/Water Reforming into Hydrogen

AbstractTo enable highly efficient in situ hydrogen release from methanol/water reforming at lower temperature, the integration of solar‐energy offers a promising approach to activate methanol/water and substantially lower the activation energy of this reaction. Herein, we present a novel dual‐vacancy defective hollow heterostructure derived from Metal–Organic Frameworks, featuring abundant surface hydroxyl groups and S/O vacancies, for photothermal‐promoted methanol solution reforming into hydrogen. The [In2S3‐x/In2O3‐x](OH)y exhibits exceptional photothermal H2 evolution activity, achieving a production rate of 215.2 mmolgcat−1h−1, 16‐fold higher than its thermocatalytic activity, with an apparent quantum efficiency of 66.8 % at 365 nm and solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency (STH) of 1.1 % under AM 1.5G simulated solar illumination, and excellent durability over 82 h, cumulating 2.61×103 mmolgcat−1. The synergistic effects of dual‐vacancies and the hollow heterostructure significantly enhance the photothermal effect, lowering the activation energy barrier for methanol/water, enabling H2 production at temperatures even as 80 °C under non‐alkaline conditions. Furthermore, the incorporated surface hydroxyl groups facilitate the generation of active surface hydroxyls from water, further driving activation and cleavage of C−H bonds in methanol, thereby markedly reducing the apparent reaction activation energy by 12.5 %. This work provides a new strategy for effective H2 production from aqueous methanol reforming under mild conditions, holding great promise for energy‐demanding industrial applications.

Acentric Order-Disorder Zn3Sb4CO6F6: Crystal Structure, Dye Degradation, Cr(VI) Removal, Antibacterial Activity, and Catalytic C-C Bond Formation.

Acentric Zn3Sb4CO6F6 has been synthesized by a hydrothermal technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that it crystallizes in cubic symmetry with a = 8.1480 (5) Å and Z = 2 (I4̅3 m). The carbon atom has tetrahedral coordination by Sb, either as an ordered structure at the center of the tetrahedron or as a disordered structure with carbon displaced toward three Sb atoms; the latter model leads to more acceptable Sb-C interatomic distances. Zn3Sb4CO6F6 has been established as the first multifunctional [M-L-C-O-F] compound, with exceptional properties, i.e., photocatalyst, adsorbent, catalyst for organic reactions, and antibacterial agent. This compound successfully degraded 89.5% of 50 mg/L methylene blue dye under solar illumination. It was also proved to be a proficient adsorbent toward Cr(VI) removal with qmax of 47.18 mg/g. The antibacterial activity was investigated by "agar cup assay" against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Zn3Sb4CO6F6 also functions as an excellent catalyst for the solvent-free Knoevenagel condensation reaction, with more than 90% yield. Theoretical investigations further proved that Zn3Sb4CO6F6 exhibits a direct band gap energy of 1.76 eV, which is consistent with the experimental findings. The synthesized compound was also characterized through fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction study.

Bimetallic AuPd alloy nanoparticles on TiO₂ nanotube arrays: a highly efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen generation.

Decoration of TiO2 nanotube (TNT) arrays by AuPd nanoparticles (NPs) produces a dramatic enhancement in the rate of hydrogen generation through photocatalytic water-splitting under solar illumination. XRD and TEM confirmed alloy formation in bimetallic AuPd NPs while XPS ruled out a core-shell architecture in the AuPd NPs. Well-dispersed, size-controlled AuPd NPs were formed by sequential physical vapor deposition of Au and Pd on TNTs followed by spontaneous thermal dewetting (TNT-AuPd). TNT-AuPd samples were characterized by small tensile microstrains. For comparison purposes and to derive physical insights, an identical method was used to form TNT-Au and TNT-Pd samples wherein TNTs were decorated by monometallic Au and Pd NPs respectively. In every case, an accumulation-type heterointerface between TiO2 and the metallic/bimetallic NPs was indicated by binding energy shifts in the Ti2p high resolution x-ray photoelectron spectra (HR-XPS). Initial and final state effects in the Au4f HR-XPS pointed to a large number of Au atoms in low coordinate sites such as edges, kinks and corners as well as a slower excited atom relaxation in the alloy. A similar preponderance of Pd atoms at low coordinate sites was found along with the presence of a small amount of palladium oxide. TNT-AuPd demonstrated the highest photocatalytic H₂ production rate of 2920 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is 8.9 times higher than that of TNTs, 2.1 times that of TNT-Au, and 1.69 times that of TNT-Pd under solar illumination. We studied H₂ generation under UV-filtered solar illumination with TNT-AuPd outperforming monometallic Au- and Pd-NP decorated TNTs, which is attributed to the enhancement of the catalytic activity of Pd in an Au environment, the presence of Pd and Au atoms at low coordinate sites, and photoinduced electron transfer between TNTs and AuPd alloy NPs, where AuPd acts as an efficient electron sink, in turn reducing carrier recombination losses.

A Scalable Route to Constructing Hydrogel‐Encapsulated Lithium‐Ion Sieves‐Based Photothermal Fabric Adsorbent for Solar‐Enhanced Lithium Extraction from Seawater

AbstractLithium extraction from seawater is deemed as the promising solution to coping with the booming demand for lithium. However, the trace lithium concentration and low temperature in seawater limit the adsorption amount of lithium on conventional adsorbents. Here, a novel scalable method is developed for constructing a photothermal fabric adsorbent for lithium extraction by encapsulating graphite powder (GP) and lithium‐ion sieves (LISs) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is then simultaneously coated onto commercial cotton fabric through electron beam (EB) irradiation‐induced crosslinking. Benefited from the evaporation‐induced ion concentration effects and solar‐heated microenvironment, the lithium adsorption kinetics of the adsorbent is accelerated with the assistance of solar illumination, which achieve a 55.0% lithium removal ratio in seawater in just 30 min sun illumination, whereas just 30.0% under dark condition. A 21‐day solar‐assisted offshore adsorption test confirmed the photothermal fabric adsorbent can sequester 15.71 mgLi g−1, ≈25.9% increase in comparison with that without solar illumination. Considering the cost of the adsorbent as low as 2.98 $ kg−1, this research provides a simple and scalable method for the preparation of low‐cost photothermal adsorbent for efficient extraction of lithium from seawater on an industrial scale.