Categorizing photothermal materials for interfacial solar evaporation systems
Maryam Nooman ALMALLAHI, Abdelrahman GASMELSEED, Mahmoud S. EL-SEBAEY, Mohamed Y.E. SELIM, Mahmoud ELGENDI
Abstract. Freshwater is essential for human survival, economic development, and environmental sustainability, making it necessary for achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, ensuring freshwater availability is essential; several water purification methods have been introduced. However, many water-purification techniques consume resources that are not environmentally friendly, such as fossil fuels. In contrast, solar-driven desalination technologies have emerged as a suitable, clean method for producing water. Interfacial solar evaporation (ISE) is a promising approach for low-cost and off-grid water purification. Furthermore, selecting photothermal materials is essential for improving solar absorption and heat localization at the water interface. Photothermal materials should exhibit broadband solar absorption, low thermal conductivity, and a porous structure to facilitate water transport and higher water evaporation. This paper overviews five main material categories used in ISE systems —metal-based, carbon-based, semiconductor-based, polymer-based, and biomass-derived—and focuses on their properties.
Keywords
Photothermal Material, Solar Generation, Solar Energy, Evaporation
Published online 6/20/2026, 6 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Maryam Nooman ALMALLAHI, Abdelrahman GASMELSEED, Mahmoud S. EL-SEBAEY, Mohamed Y.E. SELIM, Mahmoud ELGENDI, Categorizing photothermal materials for interfacial solar evaporation systems, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 657-662, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-89
The article was published as article 89 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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