Recent development and improvements of cotton fabric-based solar-driven interfacial evaporators: A review

Freshwater scarcity is a major crisis facing humanity. Direct utilization of solar energy for solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has emerged as an efficient strategy for freshwater production. Solar evaporators based on cotton fabric as the substrate material attract more attention due to their excellent properties, including hydrophilicity, biodegradability, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and mechanical performance. This review first explores the thermal and fluid dynamics principles underlying cotton fabric-based solar evaporators (CFSEs) and further elucidates the preparation methods of the photothermal layer from aspects such as semiconductor materials, carbon materials, and plasmonic metals. Then we subsequently emphasizes methods for optimizing the evaporation performance of CFSEs, including the composite of different photothermal materials, structural tuning strategies for the evaporator, optimization of thermal management, and modulation of water transport. Finally, the application, prospects and challenges of the CFSE are analyzed.