writer：Zeen Xu, Xingyue Lei, Ru Jiang,et al.
keywords：Interfacial evaporation; Desalination; Chitosan; Nickel foam; MoS2; g-C3N4
source：期刊
specific source：Chemical Engineering Journal
Issue time：2026年

Due to its ease of operation and minimal environmental impact, solar-driven evaporation technology holds significant potential in addressing the worsening global water crisis. Inspired by the multi-layered coiled scallion, a 3D g-C3N4/MoS2/chitosan hydrogel@nickel foam (CMC@NF) evaporator was fabricated by decorating photothermal g-C3N4 and MoS2, along with hydrophilic chitosan onto porous 3D nickel foam. Remarkably, water evaporation enthalpy

decreased significantly  from 2415 to 828 kJ·kg-1 due to the presence of hydrophilic chitosan. The multi-layered coiled structure of the scallion-like CMC@NF-2 enhances solar reflection and refraction, and enlarges the water evaporation area through its hierarchical interfacial design. Leveraging synergistic material advantages and optimized geometric configuration, the CMC@NF-2 evaporator attained an ultrahigh water evaporation rate  of 6.17 kg·m-2·h-1 (normalized to the top-irradiation projected area). The CMC@NF-2 system also exhibited outstanding outdoor water evaporation of 74.54 kg·m-2·d-1, an output adequate to satisfy the daily water requirements of 23 adults (based on a standard of 3.2 L·person-1·day-1). This study significantly enhances the capabilities of existing solar desalination techniques for delivering portable, cost-effective freshwater supplies, and simultaneously provides a thorough physical interpretation and actionable optimization frameworks for CMC@NF-2 systems.