Advancing Efficiency in Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation: Strategies and Applications

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has emerged as a promising technology for addressing global water scarcity by utilizing solar-thermal conversion and evaporation at the air/material/water interface. The exceptional performance of these systems has attracted significant interest; it is imperative to establish rigorous and scientific standards for evaluating effectiveness, optimizing system design, and ensuring efficient practical applications. In this Review, we propose consensus criteria for accurately assessing system performance and guiding future advancements. We then explore the fundamental mechanisms driving system synergy, emphasizing how material compositions, microscopic hierarchical material structures, and macroscopic three-dimensional spatial architecture designs enhance solar absorption and photothermal conversion; balance heat confinement with water pathway optimization; manage salt resistance; and regulate enthalpy during vaporization. These matched coordination strategies are crucial for maximizing the target SDIE efficiency. Additionally, we investigate the practical applications of SDIE technologies, focusing on cutting-edge progress and versatile water purification, combined with atmospheric water harvesting, salt collection, electric generation, and photothermal deicing. Finally, we highlight the challenges and exciting opportunities for advancing research, emphasizing future efforts to integrate fundamental principles, system-level collaboration, and application-driven approaches to boost sustainable and highly efficient water and energy technologies. By linking system performance evaluation with optimization strategies for influencing factors, we offer a comprehensive overview of the field and a future outlook that promotes highly efficient clean water production and synergistic applications.