System integration for solar-driven interfacial desalination

To address the growing global freshwater scarcity, solar-thermal-driven desalination has gradually matured as a promising solution under the advocacy of global energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction. In recent years, the performance of solar-driven interfacial desalination (SDID) systems has been substantially improved via the modification and development of photothermal materials and the design of artificial interfaces and thermal management engineering. In this review, we summarize recent advances in SDID integrated devices and their potential for applications at different scales. The specific and potential application scenarios of SDID devices and the challenges for future development are also described. We also review the interactions between the strategies of seawater supply, steam transport, and freshwater condensation systems with the energy systems.