Graphene oxide-based efficient and scalable solar desalination under one sun with a confined 2D water path

Because it is able to produce desalinated water directly using solar energy with minimum carbon footprint, solar steam generation and desalination is considered one of the most important technologies to address the increasingly pressing global water scarcity. Despite tremendous progress in the past few years, efficient solar steam generation and desalination can only be achieved for rather limited water quantity with the assistance of concentrators and thermal insulation, not feasible for large-scale applications. The fundamental paradox is that the conventional design of direct absorber-bulk water contact ensures efficient energy transfer and water supply but also has intrinsic thermal loss through bulk…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 11321063, 11574143
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province

  Award: BK20150056