High performance reverse solar distiller with enhanced condensation and salt resistance

Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

^* Corresponding author’s e-mail: lilinnd@dlut.edu.cn

Abstract

Solar interfacial evaporation represents a promising and sustainable solution for desalination. Despite its potential for high evaporation rates, the coexistence of vapor and incident light has hindered efficient freshwater collection. In this work, we propose a vapor-down harvesting reverse solar distiller (RSD) that comprises a photothermal layer, a supply water path, and a condensation chamber. Unlike conventional solar stills, the RSD enables water evaporation and photothermal conversion to occur on opposite sides, preventing mutual interference between the vapor and incident light. Furthermore, the RSD exhibits superior performance in terms of salt resistance and condensation. Remarkably, our RSD achieves a high freshwater collection rate of 1.03 kg m^-2 h^-1 with an impressive collection efficiency of 71%.