Inclined interfacial solar evaporator using polypyrrole/polydopamine composites for efficient desalination and salinity-driven electricity generation

Water-electricity cogeneration using solar energy is an innovative technology to address global freshwater shortages and energy demands. Here, we designed an inclined evaporator based on polypyrrole/polydopamine photothermal materials for efficient water evaporation and electricity cogeneration. Due to the ingenious inclined structure of the evaporator, the water transport was highly promoted by gravity and siphon effect. This process not only improves the evaporation flux of water, but also create a salinity gradient that can be used for further electricity generation. The designed inclined PPy/PDA@MF evaporator exhibits an evaporation flux of 3.02 kg m(- 2) h(- 1) under one sun irradiance and achieves an open-circuit voltage of 56 mV during the electricity generation.