Recent advances and challenges of emerging solar-driven steam and the contribution of photocatalytic effect

In recent years, solar-driven steam materials and systems for water desalination decontamination have received increasing attention from the scientific community. Notwithstanding fundamental achievements reached on this topic, numerous technological concerns still remain to be addressed, including heat loss, radiation reflection, low degree of purification condensed water, biofouling, salt accumulation surface. report, we critically reviewed most advances in engineering main technology challenges which may limit their large-scale application. First, different classes materials, e.g., inorganic semiconductors, carbonaceous polymers, surface plasmon resonance metals, are compared terms mechanistic pathways generate vapor freshwater Then, approaches tackle shortcomings discussed depth. For instance, accumulation, several strategies were proposed such as surfaces with ion exchange or/and dissolving, an inversion system remove active surface, rejection surfaces. To enhance photothermal process reflection light, thermal insulators, reflective layers, 3D/pyramidal photoabsorbers proved excellent strategies. The review addresses well research regarding hybrid by incorporating photocatalysis effect evaporators. Photocatalyst addition endows evaporators unique properties, radical oxidation organic pollutants microbial inactivation, resulting reduced fast biofouling waters higher purity. Finally, remaining prospects future developments discussed.