Three-Dimensional Porous Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporator for High-Efficiency Steam Generation under Low Solar Flux

Solar steam generation is critical for many important solar-thermal applications, but is challenging to achieve under low solar flux due to the large evaporation enthalpy of water. Here, we demonstrate a three-dimensional porous solar-driven interfacial evaporator that can generate 100 °C steam under 1 sun illumination with a record high solar-to-steam conversion efficiency of 48%. The high steam generation efficiency is achieved by localizing solar-thermal heating at the evaporation surface and controlling the water supply onto the porous evaporator through tuning its surface wettability, which prevents overheating of the evaporator and thus minimizes conductive, convective, and radiative heat losses from the evaporator. The design of steam outlet located at the sidewall of the evaporator rather than from the solar absorber surface not only facilitates the collection of generated steam, but also avoids potential blockage of solar radiation by the condensing steam. The high-efficiency solar-driven evaporator has been used to generate hot steam for outdoor removal of paraffin on the wall of oil pipelines, offering a promising solution to mitigate the wax deposition issue in petroleum extraction processes.