Biomass-based materials for sustainably-sourced solar-driven interfacial steam generation

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation powered by solar energy has gained significant interest as a sustainable and cost-efficient desalination technology, owing to its zero reliance on fossil fuels. It aligns the relationship between freshwater demand and environmental-friend water yields and provides us with a feasible and effective way to mitigate the global water crisis. Biomass-derived photothermal evaporators stemming from sustainable and renewable resources and performing high freshwater output have piqued researchers’ interest in achieving water evaporation effectively, economically, and greenly. In this review work, we summarized biomass-based photothermal evaporators coming from hydrogels, carbides, and fibers and analyzed their optical design, wettability, thermal management, and salt-rejection ability, presenting an overview of the current status of biomass-based materials in the solar-driven water purification system.