Preparation of nano-tungsten carbide and the performance of photothermal conversion

Interface solar-driven water evaporation represents a mature and environmentally sustainable approach to seawater desalination, offering a viable solution to global water scarcity. This work presents an innovative solar-driven evaporation system featuring dual-phase interfacial enhancement. The tungsten carbide/fiber composite (WC@FC) demonstrates exceptional broadband light absorption (>99%), achieved through the synergistic effects of plasmon resonance and the intrinsic optical properties of tungsten. Additionally, the hierarchically porous structure of the fiber substrate facilitates efficient capillary-driven water transport. Under 1-sun illumination (1 kW m⁻²), the system exhibits outstanding performance, achieving an energy conversion efficiency of 91.85% and an evaporation flux of 1.685 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. This work showed the tremendous potential of high-efficiency solar desalination applications.