Review of interface solar-driven steam generation systems: High-efficiency strategies, applications and challenges

Abstract The interface solar-driven steam generation technology is a new type of solar energy utilization technology that can simultaneously meet the needs of energy, environment, and freshwater. In recent years, this technology has attracted widespread attention and research. With the increasingly advanced high-efficiency strategy, the interface solar-driven steam generation system's performance is rapidly improving. This review discusses this system’s latest developments in various high-efficiency strategies from three perspectives: light absorption, heat utilization, and water and salt control. By analyzing these high-efficiency strategies’ progress and the deficiencies of the systems, it is recommended that future research should pay more attention to (1) the application of comprehensive high-efficiency strategies, (2) unified testing and efficiency calculation specifications, and (3) system stability and cost. Subsequently, this technology's latest applications in seawater desalination, sterilization, sewage treatment, and water and electricity cogeneration are discussed. After the above discussion, the review further analyzes the current systems’ challenges in different practical applications and puts forward suggestions to deal with them.

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