Recent progress of nanostructured interfacial solar vapor generators

Interfacial solar vapor generation has attracted wide interest in recent years due to its high solar vapor generation efficiency, especially when compared with traditional solar vapor generation. It features an interfacial solar vapor generator that localizes solar harvest and vapor generation at the air-water interface, in contrast to those heating a bulk of water from the bottom to generate vapor. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the working principles of various nanostructured interfacial solar vapor generators, the categories of their photothermal components, structural designs, extra thermal insulation designs, and various practical applications, along with the current challenges and future outlooks. We hope this review will inspire more exciting discoveries in this field.