Solar‐Powered Interfacial Evaporation and Deicing Based on a 3D‐Printed Multiscale Hierarchical Design

Abstract

Solar‐powered interfacial heating has emerged as a sustainable technology for hybrid applications with minimal carbon footprints. Aerogels, hydrogels, and sponges/foams are the main building blocks for state‐of‐the‐art photothermal materials. However, these conventional three‐dimensional (3D) structures and related fabrication technologies intrinsically fail to maximize important performance‐enhancing strategies and this technology still faces several performance roadblocks. Herein, monolithic, self‐standing, and durable aerogel matrices are developed based on composite photothermal inks and ink‐extrusion 3D printing, delivering all‐in‐one interfacial steam generators (SGs). Rapid prototyping of multiscale hierarchical structures synergistically reduce the energy demand for evaporation, expand actual evaporation areas, generate massive environmental energy input, and improve mass flows. Under 1 sun, high water evaporation rates of 3.74 kg m−2 h−1 in calm air and 25.3 kg m−2 h−1 at a gentle breeze of 2 m s−1 are achieved, ranking among the best‐performing solar‐powered interfacial SGs. 3D‐printed microchannels and hydrophobic modification deliver an icephobic surface of the aerogels, leading to self‐propelled and rapid removal of ice droplets. This work shines light on rational fabrication of hierarchical photothermal materials, not merely breaking through the constraints of solar‐powered interfacial evaporation and clean water production, but also discovering new functions for photothermal interfacial deicing.

A natural gain strategy of passive cycling water vapour escape toward efficient freshwater purification

“…The effectiveness of this work is demonstrated by the fact that the performance of the TIE with natural convection support is ∼32% greater than that of 3D evaporators with side evaporation and no forced convection. 32–37…”

“…The temperature of the side evaporation surface is lower than the ambient temperature, thus absorbing heat from the surroundings, while the interfacial evaporation temperature at the top is high. 34,35 Additionally, the photothermal surface of the TIE has an obvious high-temperature section at the bottom, where the surface temperature can reach 45 °C under low sun conditions, inducing natural convection (in ESI Fig. S6†).…”

Self‐Assembled Nanofibrous Hydrogels with Tunable Porous Network for Highly Efficient Solar Desalination in Strong Brine

“…[1,2] Extensive research efforts were recently invested into novel materials and structures for enhanced performance in solar desalination. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Among the variety of designs, hydrogels attracted wide attention due to their 3D hydrophilic networks that facilitate water replenishment and accelerate vapor generation via interactions with water molecules. [10][11][12][13] However, most of the reported hydrogel-based solar evaporators (HSEs) can stably operate only with low salinity liquid (<10%), which does not satisfy the requirements for industrial application or prolonged use.…”

Enhanced Ventilation Processes on Vacuum Thermal Reduction TiO2 Porous Ceramics for High‐Efficiency Solar‐Driven Interfacial Evaporation

“…[8] Recently, a novel technology known as solar-driven interfacial evaporation has been developed, which limits the heat to the evaporation surface and significantly improves the evaporation rate. [9,10] Compared to traditional methods, solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a highly efficient and novel desalination technology, which limits heat to the evaporation surface, resulting in significant improvements in the evaporation rate. [11] During the operation of the solar-driven interfacial evaporator, incident sunlight is absorbed by the solar absorbing material, converting it into heat.…”