Solar-powered seawater desalination offers a promising solution to the urgent issue of water scarcity by utilizing the endless energy of sunlight, yet attaining high-performance wood-structured interfacial evaporation remains elusive. We report a facile approach that combines lignin-based carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and perforated bulk wood to improve the evaporation rate and photothermal conversion, wherein the as-prepared CQDs in the evaporator functions as a intensifier to light adsorption and solar-to-heat conversion. Owing to the photoelectric transition of lignin CQDs, adding lignin CQDs alters the natural structure and properties of wood interface with punched holes, thereby heightening the ratio of intermediate water in the device to lower the enthalpy of water evaporation with salt-tolerance and long-term serviceability. Fluidic simulation reveals that the punched large channels with high water flux provokes the salt concentration gradient in hierarchical pores. In the meantime, the concentrated water at the top layer transports downward by diffusion and convection, thus making the spontaneous horizontal and vertical salt exchange. Through the depositing CQDs onto the surface-carbonized wood, the optimum evaporation performance of 3.722 −4.003 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ with over 86 % solar-to-vapor efficiency under one sun irradiation is achieved in 0.05 wt% saline water. Owing to the 3D-interconnected porous channels and CQDs photothermal interfaces, the evaporator could operate stably in highly saline water and practical outdoor scene. This work sketch a blueprint of all-wood-based interfacial evaporators with excellent seawater desalination performance, pointing to a broader future for the coordination of sustainable biomass conversion and water purification.

中文翻译：

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海水淡化的自然选择：通过木质素基碳量子点改善太阳能木材界面蒸发


太阳能海水淡化通过利用太阳能的无穷无尽的能量，为紧迫的水资源短缺问题提供了一个有前途的解决方案，但实现高性能的木结构界面蒸发仍然难以捉摸。我们报道了一种简单的方法，该方法结合了木质素基碳量子点 （CQD） 和穿孔散装木材来提高蒸发速率和光热转换，其中蒸发器中制备的 CQD 起到增强剂的作用，以实现光吸附和太阳能到热的转换。由于木质素 CQD 的光电转变，添加木质素 CQD 会改变带有冲孔的木材界面的自然结构和性能，从而提高器件中中间水的比例，以降低水蒸发焓，同时具有耐盐性和长期适用性。流体模拟表明，具有高水通量的穿孔大通道会引起多级孔隙中的盐浓度梯度。同时，顶层的浓水通过扩散和对流向下输送，从而发生自发的水平和垂直盐交换。通过将 CQD 沉积到表面碳化木材上，在 0.05 wt% 的盐水中实现了 3.722 −4.003 kg ^{m-2 h-1} 的最佳蒸发性能，在一次太阳照射下具有超过 86% 的太阳蒸汽效率。由于具有 3D 互连的多孔通道和 CQDs 光热界面，蒸发器可以在高盐水和实际户外场景中稳定运行。 这项工作勾勒出具有出色海水淡化性能的全木基界面蒸发器的蓝图，为可持续生物质转化和水净化的协调指明了更广阔的未来。