Highlights The 3D honeycomb-like fabric decorated with MXene is woven as solar evaporator. The honeycomb structure enables light-trapping and recycling of convective and radiative heat. The 3D honeycomb-fabric evaporator possesses high solar efficiency up to 93.5% under 1 sun irradiation and excellent salt harvesting ability. AbstractSection Abstract Solar steam generation technology has emerged as a promising approach for seawater desalination, wastewater purification, etc. However, simultaneously achieving superior light absorption, thermal management, and salt harvesting in an evaporator remains challenging. Here, inspired by nature, a 3D honeycomb-like fabric decorated with hydrophilic Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) is innovatively designed and successfully woven as solar evaporator. The honeycomb structure with periodically concave arrays creates the maximum level of light-trapping by multiple scattering and omnidirectional light absorption, synergistically cooperating with light absorbance of MXene. The minimum thermal loss is available by constructing the localized photothermal generation, contributed by a thermal-insulating barrier connected with 1D water path, and the concave structure of efficiently recycling convective and radiative heat loss. The evaporator demonstrates high solar efficiency of up to 93.5% and evaporation rate of 1.62 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under one sun irradiation. Moreover, assisted by a 1D water path in the center, the salt solution transporting in the evaporator generates a radial concentration gradient from the center to the edge so that the salt is crystallized at the edge even in 21% brine, enabling the complete separation of water/solute and efficient salt harvesting. This research provides a large-scale manufacturing route of high-performance solar steam generator.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation from seawater is considered an effective way to alleviate the emerging freshwater crisis because of its green and environmentally friendly characteristics. However, developing an evaporator with high efficiency, stability, and salt resistance remains a key challenge. MXene, with an internal photothermal conversion efficiency of 100%, has received tremendous research interest as a photothermal material. However, the process to prepare the MXene with monolayer is inefficient and generates a large amount of “waste” MXene sediments (MS). Here, MXene sediments is selected as the photothermal material, and a three-dimensional MXene sediments/poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate aerogel evaporator with vertically aligned pores by directional freezing method is innovatively designed. The vertical porous structure enables the evaporator to improve water transport, light capture, and high evaporation rate. Cotton swabs and polypropylene are used as the water channel and support, respectively, thus fabricating a self-floating evaporator. The evaporator exhibits an evaporation rate of 3.6 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under one-sun illumination, and 18.37 kg m⁻² of freshwater is collected in the condensation collection device after 7 h of outdoor sun irradiation. The evaporator also displays excellent oil and salt resistance. This research fully utilizes “waste” MS, enabling a self-floating evaporation device for freshwater collection.

The sole situation of semi-crystalline structure induced single performance remarkably limits the green cryogels in the application of soft devices due to uncontrolled freezing field. Here, a facile strategy for achieving multifunctionality of cryogels is proposed using total amorphization of polymer. Through precisely lowering the freezing point of precursor solutions with an antifreezing salt, the suppressed growth of ice is achieved, creating an unusually weak and homogenous aggregation of polymer chains upon freezing, thereby realizing the tunable amorphization of polymer and the coexistence of free and hydrogen bonding hydroxyl groups. Such multi-scale microstructures trigger the integrated properties of tissue-like ultrasoftness (Young’s modulus <10 kPa) yet stretchability, high transparency (~92%), self-adhesion, and instantaneous self-healing (<0.3 s) for cryogels, along with superior ionic-conductivity, antifreezing (−58 °C) and water-retention abilities, pushing the development of skin-like cryogel electronics. These concepts open an attractive branch for cryogels that adopt regulated crystallization behavior for on-demand functionalities.