Work

Shape‐Customizable 3D Corn Husk‐Derived Carbon Evaporator for High‐Performance Solar Desalination

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Currently, 3D interfacial evaporators have attracted significant attention due to their superior evaporation performance. However, the shape of carbon‐based 3D evaporators is often constrained by the original form of biomass materials, which limits their practical applications. Herein, we report a novel strategy for fabricating 3D solar‐driven interfacial evaporators with arbitrary shapes (hemisphere, cone, flake, and Z‐type) by integrating carbon powder derived from corn shuck (CS) with binders. The silver‐doped corn‐based carbon (Ag‐CCS) material exhibits exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency, achieving surface temperatures of 153.3°C (dry) and 95.7°C (wet) under 1 sun illumination. Among the 3D evaporators, the Z‐type design demonstrates the highest evaporation rate of 4.42 kg·m −2 h −1 , attributed to its porous structure, hydrophilicity, low evaporation enthalpy of adsorbed water (1286.13 J g −1 ), and efficient ambient energy absorption and thermal management. Outdoor experiments further validate the Z‐type evaporator's superior performance, with a maximum daily water production of 25.1 kg m −2 and automatic salt‐cleaning capability over 20 days. This work paves the way for the scalable fabrication of 3D carbon‐based evaporators, offering a viable solution for seawater desalination.

Source: Global Challenges

DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202600002