Enhanced photothermal interface evaporation via coupling of Ag-GO aerogel with thermal insulation substrate

Abstract

Water scarcity is one of the major challenges faced globally. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has emerged as a convenient, efficient, and eco-friendly method for freshwater production and has been extensively studied in recent years. To enhance interfacial water evaporation efficiency, this study synthesized Ag-GO aerogel and combined it with a thermal insulation substrate, melamine foam, by physically grinding the aerogel into powder and integrating it with the substrate. This composite evaporator, combining aerogel powder with the thermal insulation substrate, demonstrates excellent evaporation performance, achieving an evaporation rate of 2.75 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ and an evaporation efficiency of 93.82 % under an irradiance intensity of 1 kW m⁻², which represents a 30.4 % increase compared to the evaporation rate of the single aerogel. Furthermore, the composite evaporator maintains outstanding evaporation performance in various salt solutions and exhibits excellent self-desalting capability, with a stable evaporation rate over 20 evaporation cycles. Additional outdoor evaporation experiments also indicate that this composite evaporator performs well under outdoor conditions, suggesting its potential practical applications.