TiO₂‐Fe₂O₃ Ceramics with Integrated Interfacial Evaporation and Photocatalysis for Sustainable Water Treatment Under Low‐Temperature Fabrication

Abstract Water scarcity and environmental pollution represent dual crises that impede global sustainable development. Population growth, industrial activities, and climate change have driven an increase in freshwater demand, while industrial wastewater, agricultural runoff, and the discharge of emerging contaminants have exacerbated water pollution. These challenges urgently require innovative technologies for resolution. Solar‐driven interfacial evaporation and photocatalytic technologies offer promising solutions; however, research on their integration within single‐material systems remains limited. This work presents a novel approach to combine interfacial evaporation and photocatalytic functions in TiO₂‐Fe₂O₃ ceramics, synthesized via vacuum sintering at 600 °C. The incorporation of Fe₂O₃ enhances the sinterability of the material, enabling the retention of the anatase phase of TiO₂ while significantly lowering the sintering temperature. Compared to pure TiO₂ ceramics, the TiO₂‐Fe₂O₃ ceramics exhibit a solar absorption rate of 87.74%, nearly double that of pure TiO₂ ceramics (43.29%). Furthermore, the water evaporation rate is increased from 0.7 to 1.34 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. Additionally, the optimized oxygen‐deficient anatase TiO₂ structure demonstrates superior photocatalytic performance compared to ceramics sintered at higher or lower temperatures. This work proposes a low‐temperature strategy for fabricating multifunctional TiO₂‐Fe₂O₃ ceramics, integrating interfacial evaporation and photocatalysis, providing an efficient and sustainable solution for addressing water scarcity and environmental pollution.