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Interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) employed for seawater desalination and wastewater purification shows great promise to alleviate global freshwater scarcity. However, simultaneous optimization of water transfer direction in a cost-effective and reliable ISSG to balance thermal localization, salt accumulation, and resistance to oilfouling represents a rare feat. Herein, inspired by seabird beaks for unidirectional water transfer, eco-friendly and cost-effective plant extracts, sodium alginate, and tannic acid, are selected for crafting an innovative Sodium Alginate-Tannic Acid Hemispheric Evaporator (STHE). The STHE aligned with centripetally tapered channels ensures one-directional water flow and effectively inhibits downward heat transfer, thereby boosting energy efficiency. Additionally, the integration of one-way water supply in tapered channels with interfacial evaporation of STHE, mimicking plant transpiration, collaboratively facilitates upward water transfer for a reliable solar-driven water evaporation rate of ≈2.26 kg m -2 h -1 under one sun irradiation. Even in a brine of 15.0 wt % solution, no salt crystals are observed on the surface of STHE. Hemispheric structure and superhydrophilicity are conducive to oil repellence. This work provides pivotal inspiration for constructing next-generation solar generators of high-efficiency, salt-tolerance, and anti-oil-fouling., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Solar-driven water evaporation and valuable fuel generation is an environmentally friendly and sustainable way for clean water and energy production. However, a few bottlenecks for practical applications are high-cost, low productivity, and severe sunlight angle dependence. Herein, solar evaporation with enhanced photocatalytic capacity that is light direction insensitive and of efficiency breakthrough by virtue of a three-dimensional (3D) photothermal catalytic spherical isotopic evaporator is demonstrated. A homogeneous layer of microfluidic blow spun polyamide nanofibers loaded with efficient light absorber of polypyrrole nanoparticles conformally wraps onto a lightweight, thermal insulating plastic sphere, featuring favorable interfacial solar heating and efficient water transportation. The 3D spherical geometry not only guarantees the omnidirectional solar absorbance by the light-facing hemisphere, but also keeps the other hemisphere under shadow to harvest energy from the warmer environment. As a result, the light-to-vapor efficiency exceeds the theoretical limit, reaching 217% and 156% under 1 and 2 sun, respectively. Simultaneously, CO 2 photoreduction with generated steam reveals a favorable clean fuels production rate using photocatalytic spherical evaporator by secondary growth of Cu 2 O nanoparticles. Finally, an outdoor demonstration manifests a high evaporation rate and easy-to-perform construction on-site, providing a promising opportunity for efficient and decentralized water and clean fuel production., (© 2021 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)