High-Performance Roller Tube-Shaped Copper Foam Solar Evaporators with Copper Foil Integration for Enhanced Thermal Control.

The growing global freshwater shortage and climate crisis are increasing the dependence on water desalination technologies. To meet this pressing demand, innovative solutions that utilize renewable energy sources like solar power, with an emphasis on improving evaporation processes, are essential. Although considerable research has been conducted on a variety of materials and structural designs, the development of highly efficient solar steam generators for large-scale use remains a challenge. Here, we introduce a novel design: a two-layer vertical evaporation cylinder in a roll format that integrates a small, inverted cone-shaped pure copper (ICPC) foam and etched copper foil to enhance thermal management. The primary objective is to advance direct solar desalination and interfacial evaporation by effectively capturing both direct and reflected light while preventing salt accumulation through self-cleaning. This design leverages the optical properties of the three materials─absorption, reflection, and transmission─while providing deeper insights into seawater behavior within the foam's interconnected pores. It also addresses common challenges encountered by traditional solar evaporators, such as salt buildup, uncontrolled water flow, and poor thermal management. This cutting-edge solar evaporation system exhibits exceptional performance, remarkable adaptability to diverse configurations, and represents a breakthrough in sustainable chemistry, featuring an advanced engineering design that achieves an outstanding evaporation rate of 17.15 kg·m·h under 1 sun irradiation.