Saha Shuvra, Ivan Md Nahian Al Subri, Saleque Ahmed Mortuza, Ahmed Safayet, Zhang Miao, Hani Sumaiya Umme, Alam Tawsif Ibne, Wong Wai-Yeung, Ma Sainan, Tsang Yuen Hong
Department of Applied Physics, Materials Research Center, Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, and Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 999077, P. R. China.
Shenzhen Research Institute, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518057, China.
Small. 2025 Aug 7:e07620. doi: 10.1002/smll.202507620.
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) offers a promising route for clean water production with reduced dependency on traditional energy sources, yet the development of sustainable and scalable solar evaporators remains a key challenge. Herein, a biodegradable and scalable Janus solar evaporator fabricated from recycled wastepaper and tea residue is proposed, promoting eco-friendly clean water production while valorizing waste materials. The incorporation of 2D TiC (MXene) and 1D multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) forms a 3D macroscopic photothermal architecture, with enhanced light trapping and synergistic heat localization, significantly boosting evaporation performance. The evaporator achieves a high evaporation rate of 1.52 kg mh with a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 90.79% under one sun illumination. It exhibits durable salt-rejection capability via an inherent salt-blocking mechanism, ensuring long-term desalination stability. Furthermore, it effectively purifies simulated industrial wastewater without compromising its evaporation performance. An outdoor prototype system demonstrates freshwater production of ≈6.8 L m day under average solar irradiance of 0.54 kW m, underscoring its potential for scalable and sustainable solar water treatment.
太阳能驱动的界面蒸发（SDIE）为清洁水生产提供了一条有前景的途径，减少了对传统能源的依赖，然而，开发可持续且可扩展的太阳能蒸发器仍然是一个关键挑战。在此，提出了一种由回收废纸和茶渣制成的可生物降解且可扩展的Janus太阳能蒸发器，在实现环保清洁水生产的同时，使废料增值。二维TiC（MXene）和一维多壁碳纳米管（MWCNT）的结合形成了一种三维宏观光热结构，具有增强的光捕获和协同热局域化效果，显著提高了蒸发性能。该蒸发器在一个太阳光照下实现了1.52 kg m h的高蒸发速率，太阳能到蒸汽的转换效率为90.79%。它通过固有的盐阻挡机制表现出持久的抗盐能力，确保了长期脱盐稳定性。此外，它能有效净化模拟工业废水，而不影响其蒸发性能。一个户外原型系统在平均太阳辐照度为0.54 kW m的情况下，每天可生产约6.8 L m的淡水，突出了其在可扩展和可持续太阳能水处理方面的潜力。
