Research progress in carbon-based photothermal materials based on solar-driven interfacial evaporation design

The solar-driven interfacial evaporation （SDIE） can efficiently convert liquid water into steam using solar energy， providing a foundation for the development of eco-friendly and cost-effective freshwater production technologies. The photothermal material is the key platform for energy conversion， and the generated heat can be directly used for evaporation. In recent years， significant efforts have been made to enhance the efficiency of solar-driven water evaporation. Numerous innovative solar-thermal materials have been employed to achieve controlled and efficient solar-thermal conversion to meet energy-water challenges ranging from the microscale to the molecular level. On this basis， the latest research progress in carbon-based photothermal materials for SDIE technology is reviewed， focusing on the design， synthesis， and application of graphene， carbon nanotubes， natural plant-based carbon materials， carbon-based composite materials， and other photothermal materials that are currently widely used in the field of SDIE. Research findings related to the evaporation water collection rate were summarized. This aims to provide a reference for designing low-cost， efficient light absorption， chemical stability， and reusable and broad-spectrum absorption SDIE devices for off-grid desalination. Finally， the future development prospects of carbon-based materials for SDIE combined with artificial intelligence， power generation， sterilization， and all-weather operation are envisioned， to achieve eco-friendly， efficient， and multi-purpose water treatment and purification technologies.