Solar-driven interfacial photothermal
evaporation has
been recognized
as a green, economical, and efficient water purification technique
in recent years, and it is one of the most promising methods to realize
the supply of high-quality freshwater resources. The key and challenge
to achieving a superior water evaporation rate is to explore novel
stable materials with high light absorption and photothermal conversion
efficiency. In the present work, CoCr2O4 nanocrystals
containing a large number of oxygen vacancies have been successfully
prepared. Due to their substantial localized surface plasmon resonance
effect and excellent photothermal performance, they are applied in
the field of solar photothermal water evaporation for the first time.
Thanks to their extremely high photothermal effect and excellent hydrophilicity,
the outstanding water evaporation rate and efficiency of the obtained
CoCr2O4 nanoparticles under standard sun irradiation
are as high as 2.26 kg m–2 h–1 and 93.2%, respectively. This work provides an effective strategy
for the development of new solar-driven interfacial evaporation materials.