A 3D pillar hydrogel assembled from multi-metallic oxides nanoparticles for plasmon-enhanced solar interfacial evaporation

Harvesting solar energy to convert thermal energy is a promising technology that enables substantial eco-friendly applications to alleviate freshwater and energy crisis. To realize rapid and energy-efficient solar driven steam evaporation, developing efficient photothermal conversion materials are significantly important. Here is a facile approach for constructing a three-dimensional (3D) pillar hydrogel based on FeCoNiCrO x (FCNCO) for effective water treatment. Taking advantage of high solar absorption property and low evaporation enthalpy, the CPH-2S can be capable of achieving surface plasmon resonance assisted water evaporation rates of 2.44 kg m −2  h −1 under 1 sun irradiation. This function endows the evaporator with a light-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 96%, which is induced by an elaborately constructed hydrogel with surface photons trapping and thermal localization capabilities. Meanwhile, the hydrogel exhibits salt resistance in seawater as well as the stability of solar evaporation performance. This work offers a rational design principle to create multi-metal component-based photothermal materials for developing a self-sustainable and solar-powered water-energy platform.