Interface-engineered solar evaporation for affordable, off-grid freshwater

Interface-engineered solar evaporation for affordable, off-grid freshwater Water scarcity affects around two-thirds of people, demanding new, practical solutions. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) uses sunlight to produce fresh water with higher efficiency than conventional methods. SolWator examines what happens right at the water–air interface, combining high-resolution temperature imaging, optical diagnostics and computer modelling to reveal how heat and vapour behave at microscopic scales. Guided by this evidence, we design interfaces that speed evaporation and conserve heat, enabling scalable, durable and low-cost clean-water systems. The insights can strengthen desalination and have knock-on benefits across energy, manufacturing and environmental technologies.