Integrated manufacturing of REciclable multi-material COmposites for the TRANSport sector
High?Entropy Single?Atom Evaporator: Collaborative Omnibearing Light Trapping Stereo Structures for Efficient Water Transport Dynamics
A novel 3D conical cone array evaporators is prepared based on high?entropy single?atom composite thermal management materials which only contain 3 wt.%. This design achieves a water evaporation rate of 2.86 kg m?2 along with an evaporation efficiency of 94.5% under 1.0 sunlight irradiation. The absorbed energy of cone array evaporators improved 18% and the evaporation rate is increased by 58.7% compared to the flat structure evaporator, offering significant insights for the progression of solar interface evaporation technology.Achieving efficient photothermal evaporation requires a synergistic integration of thermal management, water transport dynamics, and light trapping—key elements often challenging to harmonize. Herein, A high?entropy single?atomic metal doped porous carbon (HESA) with ultra?low metal content of 1.77 wt.% is designed as a new type of photothermal material through a green and convenient routine, which displays tunable hierarchical nano/micro/macro?porous structure. By integrating molecular dynamics simulations with a 3D light capture structure, a HESA cone evaporator is prepared, utilizing only 3 wt.% of photothermal content. Under 1.0 sun illumination, the cone evaporator demonstrates an outstanding water evaporation rate of 2.86 kg m?2 h?1 and photothermal evaporation efficiency of 94.5%. Compared to conventional flat evaporators, the cone increases absorbed energy by 18% and enhances the evaporation rate by 58.7%. Molecular dynamics analyses reveal that the evaporator significantly improves water transfer kinetics, achieving an intermediate water content nearly twice that of pure water. Complementary COMSOL simulations further validate that the conical array structure enhances light absorption and optimizes water evaporation and diffusion. This meticulously designed evaporator leverages adaptive thermal and light management strategies, offering an effective solution to longstanding challenges in solar interfacial evaporation.
» Publication Date: 15/08/2025
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement Nº 768737
