A porous dome array evaporator for high-performance photothermal water evaporation and thermoelectric power generation

Abstract

Solar powered local interface evaporation has high conversion efficiency, water purification, seawater desalination, power generation and other potentials. However, the ineffective integration and expensive materials of hybrid solar thermal devices undermine the widespread development and practical outdoor use of solar energy. This article proposes a low-cost and sustainable 3D carbonated sucrose evaporator that achieves broadband light absorption, thermal insulation, and high hydrophilicity for high-performance water evaporation and self-desalination. The dome array structure not only effectively reduces the diffuse reflection of light, but also significantly increases the solar evaporation rate with excellent salt resistance and long-term stability. A high evaporation rate of 3.54 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an efficiency of 95.86% were achieved under one sun illumination, and the evaporation rate was 3.48 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ h even in high-salinity brine (15 wt% NaCl solution). In addition, the synergistic coupling of solar-steam and solar-electricity technologies can simultaneously achieve a high evaporation rate of 3.43 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an output power of 0.48 W m⁻², providing great hope for people in developing regions to cope with freshwater and electricity shortages.