Sodium alginate hydrogel-conductive fabric architecture enables electro-solar dual-driven interfacial evaporation for...

Solar-driven steam generation (SDSG) offers a sustainable route for clean water production, yet its efficiency is often hindered by intermittent solar availability and salt accumulation. Here, we present a flexible all-day evaporator based on sodium alginate (SA). This system combines ion-crosslinked SA/MXene hydrogels with conductive nanofiber composites, establishing dual-pathway thermal activation mechanism involving photothermal conversion and Joule heating, thereby achieving efficient energy utilization. This design achieves high electrical conductivity and photothermal efficiency, enabling a peak evaporation rate of 6.45 ± 0.06 kg·m^-2 h^-1under 1 sun with a 2 V bias and sustained nocturnal water production of 1.24 ± 0.12 kg·m^-2·h^-1 via low-voltage electrothermal heating. The design features self-adaptive salt diffusion channels, ensuring stable performance over 10-hour cycles in 3.5 wt% saline water without salt accumulation. This multifunctional system effectively overcomes the limitations of traditional SDSG technologies, including weather-dependent operation and salt crystallization, by decoupling light absorption, heat localization, and salt management. This work provides a robust and innovative strategy for scalable, continuous desalination, addressing key limitations in current SDSG systems.