Active regulation of synergistic interfacial materials for solar water purification

Coupling solar interfacial evaporation with photocatalysis provides a dual-functional strategy for simultaneous freshwater production and pollutant remediation. However, the current strategy of the passive stacking of functional layers faces bottlenecks due to inherent mechanistic conflicts, specifically manifested as the heat-adsorption paradox, mass transfer mismatch, and light energy competition, often resulting in a mutual loss of overall efficiency (1+1<2). To overcome these specific limitations, we propose a paradigm shift from passive assembly to active regulation. This review defines three core design principles aimed at precisely reconciling the aforementioned conflicts: (1) achieving spatial decoupling through a Janus structure, physically isolating the heat generation area from the exothermic adsorption sites to resolve thermodynamic conflicts; (2) implementing kinetic gating through a selective transport network, regulating reactant retention and preventing catalyst poisoning to address the mass transfer mismatch; (3) alleviating light energy competition through band synergy and energy modulation, and converting waste heat into catalytic potential. Furthermore, this article establishes a quantitative evaluation framework centered on the synergistic factor, aiming to accurately distinguish between physical volatilization and chemical mineralization, thereby eliminating efficiency illusions. Finally, this review outlines the path towards intelligent, closed-loop systems, emphasizing adaptive and self-regulating platforms for next-generation water purification.