Facile Preparation of Hydrogel-Coated Surfaces with Antifouling and Salt Resistance for Efficient Solar-Driven Water Evaporation

Abstract

Hydrogel-based evaporators are a promising strategy to obtain freshwater from seawater and sewage. However, the time-consuming and energy-consuming methods used in hydrogel preparation, as well as their limited scalability, are major factors that hinder the development of a hydrogel-based evaporator. Herein, a facile and scalable strategy was designed to prepare a hydrogel-coated evaporator to realize efficient solar-driven water evaporation. The hydrogel coating layer is composed of a robust 3D network formed by tannic acid (TA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through a hydrogen bond. With the assistance of TA surface modifier, carbon black (CB) is uniformly distributed within the hydrogel matrix, endowing the coating with remarkable photothermal properties. In addition, Fe³⁺ is deposited on the surface of the hydrogel coating through metal coordination with TA, further improving the light absorption of the coating. Due to the synergistic effect of CB and Fe³⁺, the hydrogel-coated foam exhibited excellent photothermal properties. The water evaporation rate reached 3.64 kg m^-2 h^-1 under 1 sun irradiation. Because of the hydration ability of PVA hydrogel and the large porous structure of the foam, the hydrogel-coated foam demonstrated excellent antifouling performance and salt resistance. This study provides a facile method for designing and manufacturing high-performance solar-driven water evaporation materials.