Bioinspired Soot‐Deposited Janus Fabrics for Sustainable Solar Steam Generation with Salt‐Rejection

Abstract

Abstract Inspired by lotus leaves, self‐floating Janus cotton fabric is successfully fabricated for solar steam generation with salt‐rejecting property. The layer‐selective soot‐deposited fabrics not only act as a solar absorber but also provide the required superhydrophobicity for floating on the water. With a polyester protector, the prepared Janus evaporator exhibits a sustainable evaporation rate of 1.375 kW m−2 h−1 and an efficiency of 86.3% under 1 sun (1 kW m−2) and also performs well under low intensity and inclined radiation. Furthermore, no special apparatus and/or tedious processes are needed for preparing this device. With a cost of less than $1 per m2, this flexible Janus absorber is a promising tool for portable solar vapor generator.

Keywords

• Janus
• salt‐rejection
• soot
• superhydrophobicity
• water vapor generation