High-performance solar desalination enabled by a MoS₂-LSCF nanocomposite photothermal fabric

Global water scarcity necessitates efficient and sustainable desalination and purification strategies. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) represents a promising solution by exploiting abundant solar energy. However, the development of photothermal materials integrating broad solar absorption, efficient heat localization, fast water transport, and long-term stability remains challenging. Herein, we propose a novel photothermal material vertically housed by integrating molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) into lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (MoS₂-LSCF) nanocomposites onto a hydrophilic cotton fabric. The MoS₂ nanoparticles provide strong broadband light absorption (especially in the visible and near-infrared regions) for efficient solar-to-thermal conversion, while the perovskite LSCF framework enhances thermal stability, promotes charge/mass transport, and improves the structural integrity of the coating. Together, they form a durable and highly efficient photothermal interface. The optimized MoS₂-LSCF fabric achieves an outstanding solar-thermal conversion efficiency of ∼89% and an evaporation rate of 2.02 kg m^-2 h^-1 under one-sun illumination. In addition, the fabric exhibits outstanding operational stability over 20 cycles and effective heat localization, as reflected by its low wet-state thermal conductivity of 0.173 W m^-1 K^-1. Collectively, this work provides a viable and efficient approach for practical solar-driven clean water production.