Polyelectrolyte Gradient Hydrogels for Efficient Solar Evaporation (Adv. Funct. Mater. 3/2026)

Polyelectrolyte Gradient Evaporators In their Research Article (10.1002/adfm.202512350), Xiayun Huang, Zhihong Nie, and co-workers report rapid fabrication of polyelectrolyte gradient hydrogels within 10 min. The surface-localized gradient generates a 125 kPa osmotic pressure to accelerate directional water transport, while the anchored polyelectrolytes disrupt the hydrogen bonds to lower evaporation enthalpy, enabling a stable evaporation rate of 4.5 kg m−2 h−1 over 7 days.