A review of solar interfacial distillation water purification technology inspired by nature

Amid the gradual global issue of freshwater resources scarcity, solar interfacial distillation has shown immense potential in seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. As the central component of this technology, photothermal materials have been extensively studied for highly efficient solar-vapor conversion. In this review, we present recent advancements in natural and natural-inspired photothermal materials for solar interfacial evaporation. Diverse processing techniques such as carbonization, physical coating, and chemical reactions, etc. used to convert natural materials into photothermal materials are summarized. Moreover, the synthesis of various natural-inspired photothermal materials that mimic natural structures to increase the rate of evaporation and resist salt crystallization were reported. Finally, we highlight the theoretical and practical implications of the current photothermal materials and discuss their further challenges and prospects.