Preparation and photothermal performance study of biomimetic rose-like porous aerogels

This study successfully fabricated a biomimetic rose-like porous aerogel solar evaporator (NH 2 -MWCNTs@Ald-CMC) by integrating amino-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (NH 2 -MWCNTs) with aldehyde-modified carboxymethyl cellulose (Ald-CMC) through a Schiff base reaction. The three-dimensional (3D) network architecture of the material effectively addressed salt accumulation challenges through structural design. Inspired by the microstructural features of natural rose petals, a biomimetic design strategy was employed to optimize the hierarchical pore architecture of the aerogel, enabling efficient capture and absorption of the entire solar spectrum. Experimental results demonstrated that the material achieved an average light absorption rate of 98.2 % across the entire solar spectrum. Furthermore, an innovative 3D stacking structural design strategy was proposed, which established continuous capillary water transport pathways and minimized thermal radiation losses. Under standard 1.0 sun illumination, the evaporator attained an evaporation rate of 7.40 kg·m −2 ·h −1 and an evaporation efficiency of 96.84 % for seawater, with the evaporated product fully meeting the drinking water standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). This study provides a novel design concept for practical applications of solar-driven interfacial evaporation technologies and holds significant practical implications for addressing global freshwater shortages and energy crises.