Hierarchically porous and high-strength carbon aerogel-based composite for solar-driven interfacial evaporation

High-efficiency and low-cost solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a promising approach for seawater desalination on ships, islands, and offshore platforms. Thus far, various nanostructured interfacial evaporation materials have been developed, and chemical regulation, surface engineering, and other modification strategies have been applied. As a result, the evaporation rate of interfacial evaporation systems has significantly increased. However, interfacial evaporation materials still suffer from disadvantages such as high costs and complex preparation processes. Furthermore, nanostructured materials exhibit poor mechanical properties, which limit their practical applications. In this study, we prepared a hierarchical porous carbon fiber felt-reinforced carbon aerogel composite for interfacial evaporation applications. The composite exhibited low thermal conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, and high evaporation rates in both pure water and seawater under 1-sun illumination. Moreover, the composite maintained a stable evaporation rate and excellent cyclicity for a long period under 5-sun illumination in high-salinity seawater. The low cost of raw materials, simple preparation process, and short production cycle are beneficial for the large-scale production and application of this novel interfacial evaporation material.