journal article·2025-12

A Self‐Floating, Self‐Insulating, and Janus Evaporator Inspired by Victoria Amazonica

Wenhua Yu, Zhengshun Zhang, Xue Bai, Rui Gao, Qinfei Ke, Chen Huang

Small· Volume 21· Issue 48
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Solar‐powered photothermal evaporators offer a sustainable approach for freshwater extraction. Nevertheless, their practical application is hindered by the difficulties in integrating thermal insulation, self‐flotation, and efficient water transport within a single device. Inspired by the structure of Victoria Amazonica , a fiber‐based solar steam evaporator is developed, featuring self‐floating, self‐insulating, and unidirectional water‐transfer. The design employs a Janus nonwoven (JN), fabricated by precisely adjusting the weight ratio of a hydrophilic viscose (VIS) fiber web and a hydrophobic polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE) core‐sheath fiber web, followed by a needle punching process to bond them together. The resulting high fluffiness and vertically aligned fiber pillars form continuous water channels across the JN thickness. This structure enables ultralow thermal conductivity (< 0.05 W mK −1 ), minimal conductive heat loss (0.6%), sustained water supply, and rapid salt ion diffusion, leading to a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 90.8%. More attractively, the evaporator maintains permanent buoyancy on seawater, since its density (1.06 g cm − 3 ) is even lower than that of seawater (1.07 g cm − 3 ). By integrating biomimetic structural engineering with scalable and affordable fabrication, this work may provide a competitive pathway to tackling global freshwater scarcity while enhancing the design of high‐performance solar desalination systems.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods · Membrane Separation Technologies · Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials College of Textiles Donghua University Shanghai 201620 China

Binzhou Institute of Technology Weiqiao‐UCAS Science and Technology Park Shandong 256606 China

Department of Orthopedics The Second Affiliated Hospital (Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University Shanghai 200003 China

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai Municipality · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · Jinhua Science and Technology Bureau

References (55)

Show source-provided references
1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division “World Population Prospects” can be found underhttps://population.un.org/wpp/ 2024.
2. 10.1126/science.112884510.1126/science.1128845 ↗
3. 10.1038/535349a10.1038/535349a ↗
4. 10.1038/s41467-021-22836-310.1038/s41467-021-22836-3 ↗
5. 10.1126/science.120048810.1126/science.1200488 ↗
6. 10.1016/j.joule.2022.10.00910.1016/j.joule.2022.10.009 ↗
7. 10.1038/s41893-022-00870-310.1038/s41893-022-00870-3 ↗
8. 10.1038/s43586-023-00287-y10.1038/s43586-023-00287-y ↗
9. 10.1002/adma.20230610310.1002/adma.202306103 ↗
10. 10.1038/s44221-023-00152-y10.1038/s44221-023-00152-y ↗
11. 10.1016/j.cis.2024.10315410.1016/j.cis.2024.103154 ↗
12. 10.1002/adfm.20230493610.1002/adfm.202304936 ↗
13. 10.1016/j.mattod.2024.08.01810.1016/j.mattod.2024.08.018 ↗
14. 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c0015910.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00159 ↗
15. 10.1002/aenm.20240013510.1002/aenm.202400135 ↗
16. 10.1002/adma.20231115110.1002/adma.202311151 ↗
17. 10.26599/NRE.2022.912001410.26599/NRE.2022.9120014 ↗
18. 10.1002/anie.20191145710.1002/anie.201911457 ↗
19. 10.1039/D1EE01381E10.1039/D1EE01381E ↗
20. 10.1002/adma.20210585310.1002/adma.202105853 ↗
21. 10.1002/adma.20241628310.1002/adma.202416283 ↗
22. 10.1002/adfm.20242361010.1002/adfm.202423610 ↗
23. 10.1002/smll.20231227810.1002/smll.202312278 ↗
24. 10.1002/smll.20241126210.1002/smll.202411262 ↗
25. 10.1002/smll.20240286310.1002/smll.202402863 ↗
26. 10.1002/aenm.20190031010.1002/aenm.201900310 ↗
27. 10.1038/s41467-024-50279-z10.1038/s41467-024-50279-z ↗
28. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c0346210.1021/acs.nanolett.3c03462 ↗
29. 10.1038/s41467-024-53902-110.1038/s41467-024-53902-1 ↗
30. 10.1002/adma.20230159610.1002/adma.202301596 ↗
31. 10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.10587810.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105878 ↗
32. 10.1002/ente.20240153410.1002/ente.202401534 ↗
33. 10.1038/ncomms544910.1038/ncomms5449 ↗
34. 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c0108810.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01088 ↗
35. 10.1016/j.cej.2025.16285110.1016/j.cej.2025.162851 ↗
36. 10.1007/s40820-024-01448-810.1007/s40820-024-01448-8 ↗
37. 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.20510.1016/j.jcis.2023.06.205 ↗
38. 10.1016/0304-3770(76)90022-X10.1016/0304-3770(76)90022-X ↗
39. Lim T. K. · 2016
40. S. M. da R.Osman C.deVida Estrutura Foliar e Variações Morfoanatômicas Influenciadas por Diferenças Ambientais Para Victoria amazonica (Poepp.) J.C. Sowerby (Nymphaeaceae) na Amazônia Central Doctoral dissertation Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia 2010.
41. 10.1126/sciadv.abg379010.1126/sciadv.abg3790 ↗
42. 10.1126/science.114724110.1126/science.1147241 ↗
43. 10.1016/j.cej.2023.14735710.1016/j.cej.2023.147357 ↗
44. 10.1038/s41570-024-00673-410.1038/s41570-024-00673-4 ↗
45. 10.1002/advs.20210172710.1002/advs.202101727 ↗
46. 10.1002/advs.20200250110.1002/advs.202002501 ↗
47. 2017
48. 10.1016/j.desal.2024.11740010.1016/j.desal.2024.117400 ↗
49. 10.1002/adfm.20242301110.1002/adfm.202423011 ↗
50. 10.1039/D4NR04936E10.1039/D4NR04936E ↗
51. 10.1016/j.cej.2025.15947110.1016/j.cej.2025.159471 ↗
52. 10.1002/smll.20240901410.1002/smll.202409014 ↗
53. 10.1016/j.desal.2022.11598410.1016/j.desal.2022.115984 ↗
54. 10.1016/j.cej.2025.16245410.1016/j.cej.2025.162454 ↗
55. 10.1016/j.seppur.2023.12350210.1016/j.seppur.2023.123502 ↗