Photothermal Material-Based Solar-Driven Cogeneration of Water and Electricity: An Efficient and Promising Technology

With the increasing demand for fresh-water and electricity in modern society, various technologies are being explored to obtain fresh-water and electricity. Due to advances in materials science, solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) systems have attracted widespread attention because they require only solar energy, and possess a high evaporation rate and little pollution. The researchers combined energy harvesting measures into the system to output electricity, further improving energy utilization. However, more in-depth research and review remain on using SDIE systems for efficient water-electricity cogeneration. Therefore, the mechanisms of different photothermal materials that utilize solar energy to produce thermal energy are first summarized in this paper. Subsequently, the mechanism and application of thermal, mechanical, chemical, and evaporation energy to produce electrical power in SDIE water-electricity cogeneration systems are discussed. Concurrently, vital mathematical equations and widely used mathematical simulation methods for performance evaluation and practical applications are presented. The design and operation of water-electricity cogeneration systems based on photothermal materials are analyzed and summarized. Based on a review and in-depth understanding of these aspects, the future development direction of cogeneration is proposed to address the problems faced in basic research and practical applications.