Facile and low-cost ceramic fiber-based carbon-carbon composite for solar evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation aiming at producing clean water without conventional energy consumption, has attracted worldwide research interest. Nevertheless, complex preparation processes and costly absorber materials might be the challenges for the practical application of this technology. Herein, a ceramic fiber was preferably selected as the supporting matrix, and a composite of activated carbon and carbon black was used as the photothermal material. Different evaporation system configurations containing the as-synthesized solar absorber were constructed and compared. It was found that, due to an improved heat insulation and water transportation, the one-dimensional configuration exhibited a maximum evaporation rate of 1.70 kg m^-2 h^-1 and the highest solar-to-vapor energy conversion efficiency of 91.8% under one sun. Furthermore, material cost and preparation complexity were also incorporated to assess the comprehensive performance of this solar absorber. The ceramic fiber-based activated carbon‑carbon black composite (CF-ACB) solar absorber proposed in this contribution, featuring cost-effectiveness, easiness-to-manufacture and great evaporation performance, illuminated its application potential of future solar desalination to provide clean water for people who live in remote and less developed areas with limited and insufficient access to fresh water.