Dual-Interface Symmetrical-Structure Solar Evaporators with Overturning Controllable Salt for High-Efficiency Desalination

Solar interfacial evaporation holds significant promise for sustainable desalination, but its long-term performance and practical deployment are often hindered by salt accumulation and maintenance requirements. To overcome these limitations, a cotton fabric MoS 2 composite is synthesized by applying a MoS 2 /dopamine mixture dissolved in water–alcohol solution onto cotton fabrics. This composite is engineered into a dual-interface symmetrical-structure solar fabric evaporator (DS-SFE) with self-cleaning and salt-removal capabilities, enabling efficient evaporation of high-salinity brine. DS-SFE achieves 95.5% solar absorption and 40.0 kg m −2 water supply flux. Under 1 sun illumination, the evaporation rate in deionized water reaches 2.25 kg m −2 h −1 . Even in a 15 wt% NaCl solution, stable and excellent evaporation performance (1.75 kg m −2 h −1 ) can still be maintained. The flip-design establishes easy operation in extreme salinity (20 wt% NaCl), requiring only manual rotation every 8 h to clear accumulated salt and ensure continuous operation. This work advances eco-friendly solar evaporator design, demonstrating scalable potential for sustainable water purification.