Solar thermal evaporation has been widely used to tackle
the problem
of freshwater shortage. The strategy to improve the evaporative performance
of solar thermal evaporation by simple and effective methods is still
a challenge. Herein, a dendritic structure-inspired coating strategy
based on the dendritic structure of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) colloids
firmly grabbing titanium trioxide (Ti2O3) on
the outer surface as a light-absorbing core–shell filler was
prepared using the non-solvo-induced precipitation method. Such a
core–shell structure was then coated on the PVA sponge to prepare
the solar photothermal composite Ti2O3/PVA@PVA,
which gave full play to the photothermal advantage of the filler itself
and can be long-term stable. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional Ti2O3/PVA@PVA evaporator with an embossment-sawtooth
structure was prepared, which enhances light absorption to 98% in
the whole solar spectrum through folds. Under 1.0 solar irradiation,
the evaporation rate reaches as high as 2.66 kg m–2 h–1 and the evaporator illustrates good stability
in simulated seawater for 7 consecutive days. Such a design showed
good salt resistance and self-cleaning ability and could be reliably
used for seawater desalination. In addition, the evaporator illustrates
good adsorption capacity for dye molecules and heavy metal ions. This
work provides new insights into the development of simple, efficient,
environmentally friendly, sustainable, and salt-resistant solar evaporators.