2D Carbon’s Dual Pioneers: Graphene Oxide and Graphdiyne Guiding Solar Evaporation through Three-Dimensional Mastery

Carbon-based two-dimensional (2D) materials, graphene oxide (GO) and graphdiyne (GDY), emerge as dual pioneers in Solar-powered water purification technology by mastering three-dimensional (3D) optimization: broadband photon harvesting, localized thermal management, and controllable water transport. This review dissects how their unique hybridization modes—GO’s sp²/sp³ heterostructure and GDY’s sp/sp²-conjugated lattice—synergize to govern these tripartite mechanisms. First, orbital engineering in GO extends π-π* transitions for a high solar absorption, while GDY’s Dirac-cone bandgap enables ultrafast hot-carrier generation. Second, thermal confinement is achieved through GO’s anisotropic heat dissipation and GDY’s proton-relay networks, minimizing parasitic losses. Third, the electrostatic force elimination effect of GO, coupled with GDY’s nanometer-scale channel regulation, enables efficient ion separation and screening. Critically, we demonstrate how these three dimensions—light, heat, and mass—are interlocked: GO’s hydrophilicity accelerates evaporation kinetics, while GDY’s structural flexibility tailors water pathways. Challenges such as GO’s oxidation instability and GDY’s scalable synthesis are addressed, with future directions advocating machine learning-driven hybridization control and modular evaporator designs. This work redefines “3D mastery” as a paradigm integrating spectral, thermal, and fluidic optimization, offering a roadmap for next-generation solar water-energy systems.