Highly interconnected sponge with optimized water absorption and thermal conductivity for efficient solar desalination

Solar steam generation (SSG) has been recognized as one of the most sustainable approaches for seawater desalination. However, its practical implementation is limited by the complicated preparation strategy, insufficient evaporation performance, and poor mechanical durability. Here, we propose a simple and effective method for preparing a highly interconnected sponge (HIS) for sustainable desalination. The porous structure of HIS evaporator can be tuned by simply adjusting the emulsion concentration, which allowed for optimization of water supply and heat management, resulting in an excellent evaporation rate of 3.87 kg m−2h−1. The HIS also demonstrated outstanding mechanical durability and long-term stability. Furthermore, the entire material cost of the HIS evaporator was only $0.125 m−2, more than an order of magnitude lower than those of previously reported evaporators. The high efficiency, durability, low cost, and storability of the HIS demonstrate its broad prospect for commercial applications.