Graphene-Based Double-Sided Light Absorption Evaporators with Enhanced Water Supply for Solar Desalination

The scarcity of freshwater resources poses a significant challenge to humanity, therefore it is necessary to develop the development of a sustainable and highly efficient evaporator. However, the light absorption capability of traditional evaporators is limited to only the top layer, and the single-side absorption characteristics impose constraints on their efficiency. Herein, we propose a novel method for manufacturing double-sided light absorption evaporators, which mainly includes porous carbon/ceramic nano film and graphene upper and lower films as the light absorption layer of the photothermal conversion evaporator, and then the hydrophilic film interlayer transfers water upwards. The transmission rate of seawater is affected by the tilt angle at which the evaporator is inserted, therefore identifying the optimal working angle becomes crucial. Under conditions of inclination angle (15 o to 75 o ), the evaporation rate of the evaporator with the optimum tilt angle reaches 3.15 kg m -2 h -1 .

The results of outdoor experiments demonstrate that the double-sided evaporator exhibits an evaporation rate 0.7 kg m -2 h -1 higher than that of the single-sided during noon hours. Furthermore, simulating the evaporation efficiency of outdoor sunlight at different tilt angles through COMSOL. The design of the double-sided evaporator offers a novel pathway for the future development of high-performance solar-driven evaporators in large-scale applications.