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Solar-driven water generation especially interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) technology holds the potential of revolutionizing fresh water production and resolving energy crises. With ISSG system operating at the air-liquid interface, it enables localized solar-to-heat conversion and restrictive thermal energy losses. Advances in optimized material design in parallel to engineered evaporator construction, and adjustable energy management now allow ISSG to obtain excellent light absorption, evaporation efficiency and outstanding heat regulation for pursuing highly efficient low-energy-consume water production. The parallel development of enthalpy reduction technology, as an effective avenue towards high-performance ISSG system, was imperative and has gained wide recognition. In this review, the conceptual designs and fundamental mechanism of ISSG technology pertaining to the current progress in materials design, steamer construction and energy regulation applications will be presented. And this article will highlight recent progress on how to reduce evaporation enthalpy involving the enthalpy reduction principle, the implementation and measurements of their influence on ISSG technology. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on reducing enthalpy strategies in ISSG system and suggest directions to further improve the overall efficiency through the judicious choice of materials, while synchronously capitalizing the increase of intermediate water, establishment of microstructures, regulation of the surface wetting state and water activation of electricity to realize concurrent high evaporation rate. [Display omitted] • Presenting the conceptual designs and fundamental mechanism of interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) technology. • Highlighting the principle, implementation and measurements on how to reduce evaporation enthalpy on ISSG technology. • Reviewing the reducing enthalpy strategies in ISSG system and suggest directions to improve the overall efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controllable carbonization of waste plastics into functional carbon nanomaterials towards environmental remediation, energy conversion and storage has received widespread attention. However, there are few studies on the carbonization of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) into porous carbon. Herein, the controlled carbonization of PLA into crumped carbon nanosheet (CCN) is reported. Firstly, recycled PLA bags are converted into magnesium-based metal-organic framework (Mg-MOF) through the combined strategy of mechanochemical milling and solution mixing, and then Mg-MOF is transformed into CCN through the metal-organic framework (MOF)-assisted carbonization strategy. CCN exhibits merits of abundant nanopores and oxygen-containing groups. As a result, the CCN-derived evaporator holds good light absorptivity, low evaporation enthalpy, and good light-to-thermal conversion ability. Furthermore, the CCN-derived solar evaporator achieves a high evaporation rate (2.70 kg m−2 h−1) at 1 kW m−2 irradiation, along with good long-term stability, which surpasses many recent advanced solar evaporators. Noteworthy, when wastewater, lake water, seawater, tetracycline solution, and dye-polluted water are used, the CCN-based evaporator remains high performance in freshwater production. Importantly, an outdoor CCN-based device is constructed, which realizes the freshwater production of 6.3 kg m−2. The collected freshwater can cultivate well mung bean sprouts under natural condition. This work not only provides a new "turning-waste-into-treasure" method for the recycling of waste PLA, but also offers a novel strategy for the preparation of low-cost, functional carbon materials for diverse applications. [Display omitted] • Mg-MOF with daisy-like morphology is prepared from waste PLA bags in a green manner. • Carbon nanosheet with a thickness of 2.5 nm is obtained by carbonization of Mg-MOF. • The carbon nanosheet-based evaporator effectively realizes freshwater production. • Evaporator shows the evaporation rate of 2.71 kg m−2 h−1 with efficiency of 98.6%. • This work provides a new "turning-waste-into-treasure" strategy for PLA recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) has attracted considerable interest as a means of producing fresh water from various water sources. And photothermal materials play a crucial role in the ISSG system, significantly impacting the efficiency of water evaporation. Among the numerous photothermal materials for ISSG, natural photothermal materials have attracted extensive attention due to their eco-friendliness, renewability, and cost-effectiveness. These materials possess the essential attributes required for efficient solar interfacial evaporators, including hygroscopicity, solar absorption, and thermal conversion, making them well-suited for the large-scale development of high-performance interfacial evaporators. This review summarizes recent advances in the application of natural materials in the ISSG system, lists strategies to enhance the photothermal properties of natural materials, analyzes the design advantages and functionalities of natural materials in thermal management and water transport (major influencing factors of ISSG system's evaporation efficiency), and aims to provide references for research on natural materials in the field of ISSG system. [Display omitted] • Recent advances in the application of natural materials in ISSG systems are Reviewed. • Modification strategies for natural materials and their enhancement mechanisms are Elucidated. • Offering insights for researchers engaged in the exploration of natural materials based ISSG system. • Summarizing and prospecting the research prospects of natural materials for ISSG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]