A Robust Solar Evaporator with Hierarchical Architecture for Ultrahigh Efficiency and Large‐Scale Zero‐Liquid‐Discharge Desalination

Abstract Solar‐driven desalination offers a green and sustainable strategy for solving the issue of freshwater scarcity. However, it remains a challenge to develop a robust evaporator via an eco‐friendly strategy, capable of resolving the long‐standing trade‐off between the water supply, salt accumulation, and thermal localization. Herein, a hierarchical solar‐absorbing architecture derived from mycelium is developed for high‐performance desalination. With the merits of multi‐level spatially low‐tortuosity channels, gradient wettability and directional transport, the evaporator achieves an impressive evaporation rate (up to 10.25 kg m ⁻² h ⁻¹ for 25 wt.% brine), efficient salt collection (1.95 kg m ⁻² h ⁻¹ for 25 wt.% brine), zero liquid discharge desalination, and long‐term stability (over 145 h in 10–25 wt.% brine). Moreover, the scaled‐up desalination system exhibits an ultrahigh freshwater production rate of 6 kg m ⁻² h ⁻¹ and a daily freshwater yield of up to 32 L m ⁻² during the outdoor desalination test. A continuous desalination‐cultivation platform demonstrates the feasibility of the evaporator for self‐sustainable agricultural irrigation. This low‐cost, mycelium‐based hierarchical architecture opens an avenue to advance green and sustainable strategy for highly efficient and large‐scale desalination of high‐salinity brine.