Photo/electro-thermal synergy assisted 3D raised-fabric evaporator for efficient and sustainable seawater desalination

Solar energy, as a clean and renewable resource, can be converted into thermal energy and utilized for freshwater production, holding the potential to address the freshwater shortage. Despite numerous studies focused on the development of high-efficiency solar evaporators, the challenge of achieving efficient and continuous water evaporation in low-light or dark environments still requires further investigation. Here, we design a solar evaporator system that combines photothermal and electrothermal water evaporation capabilities, using a conductive raised fabric as the matrix. The system features a PVA/MXene hydrogel-modified photothermal layer, PVA water transport layer, and polystyrene insulation. Results demonstrate that the PVA/MXene evaporator system exhibits outstanding photothermal and electrothermal conversion capabilities. Under 1 sun/10 V conditions, the surface temperature rapidly increases to 102.9 °C, significantly enhances the water evaporation rate. Meanwhile, the PVA/MXene@RF evaporator also demonstrate exceptional photoelectric water evaporation performance (3.37 kg·m −2 ·h −1 , 1 sun/10 V), high conversion efficiency (97.2 %), and effective self-desalting capabilities. This solar evaporator system, enables high-efficiency continuous water evaporation and collection even in dark or low-light conditions, making it a promising solution for addressing freshwater shortage.