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

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.