Scalable Nicoxsy-Pani@Gf Membranes With Broadband Light Absorption And High Salt-Resistance For Efficient Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation has been considered a promising approach to solve clean water scarcity with minimum environmental impact. Herein, we rationally developed a flexible, floating, and high-efficiency solar-driven interfacial water evaporation device by designing a hierarchical structure (NiCoxSy-PANI@GF) in which numerous NiCoxSy nanosheets were vertically and densely grown on a polyaniline (PANT)-modified glass fiber (GF) membrane. The NiCoxSy-PANI@GF with honeycomb-like structures and rough surfaces could produce multiscattering of incident solar light and convert it into heat at the air-water interface. Simultaneously, the hydrophilic NiCoxSy-PANI@GF modified by PANI coating could provide continuous and rapid water supply via the capillary wicking effect. The GF substrate with low thermal conductivity thermally localizes solar heating at the air-water interface by suppressing underline heat loss. The NiCoxSy-PANI@GF achieves a broad-spectrum light absorption rate of 96%, an evaporation rate of 1.30 kg m(-2) h(-1), and a solar-to-steam efficiency of 78.7% under one solar irradiation. In practical desalination, the homemade devices afford continuous stable operation over 20 h and 15 evaporation cycles. Meanwhile, the excellent hydrophilicity ensures the high salt-resistance ability and excellent self-cleaning performance. Additionally, the high stability and scalability in harsh conditions make the NiCoxSy-PANI@GF competitive for practical full-spectrum and large-scale solar energy harvesting.