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Recent advances in solar thermal interfacial distillation

Elsevier, Cell Reports Physical Science, Volume 6, 19 November 2025
Authors
H., Park, Hyunggon, P.I., Babb, Patrick I., E., Spitaleri, Emily, J., Lu, Jessica, Y., Zhu, Yangying

The growing global demand for freshwater has intensified research into energy-efficient desalination technologies. Among various desalination methods, distillation-based technologies can utilize renewable solar sources and low-grade waste heat but are typically energy intensive. In recent years, solar thermal interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising approach to enhance energy efficiency in seawater distillation by delivering heat directly to the liquid-vapor interface and bypassing the bulk fluid. Significant efforts have been made in materials development to achieve high solar-to-vapor efficiency in single-stage evaporators. This perspective reviews recent advances in solar interfacial evaporation, with emphasis on salt-rejection strategies, condenser development, and system-level integration for multi-stage operation. We further highlight several opportunities for realizing scalable solar thermal distillation: mitigating salt accumulation in evaporators through passive or low-power active advection-driven removal mechanisms; advancing condensation strategies to reduce overall thermal resistance and enable compact multi-stage integration, such as through thin-film condensation; and innovating multi-stage designs by optimizing gap thickness, improving sensible and latent heat reutilization. In addition, integrating waste heat sources offers a promising route to reduce reliance on external energy inputs, while addressing biofouling and other real-world limitations is crucial to ensure long-term durability.

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