Decoupling Transport of Salt Ions and Water in Hierarchically Structured Hydrogel for High Salinity Desalination.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40923221.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/adma.202505139 and PMC identifier 12617031.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Global water scarcity demands next-generation desalination technologies that transcend the limitations of energy-intensive processes and salt accumulation. Herein, a groundbreaking interfacial solar steam generation system capable of simultaneous hypersaline desalination and ambient energy harvesting is introduced. Through hierarchical hydrogel architecture incorporating a central vertical channel and radial channels with gradient apertures, the design effectively decouples salt transport and water evaporation: solar-driven fluid convection directs water outward for evaporation, while inward salt migration prevents surface crystallization and redistributes excess heat. The heat dissipation induces a sub-ambient "cold evaporation" effect, lowering the evaporative interface temperature and enhancing ambient energy utilization. The system achieves a remarkable water evaporation rate exceeding 12 kg m<sup>-2</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> in a 20 wt% hypersaline environment and operates continuously for 15 h without salt accumulation. Outdoor testing demonstrates a daily water production of 67.2 L m<sup>-2</sup>, with scalable potential for sustainable desalination and industrial brine treatment.