Plasmonic ag nanoparticle-bamboo membranes for highly efficient solar steam generation and dye removal

Recently, interfacial solar steam generation (SSG) has attracted widespread scientific attention owing to its huge potential for sustainable freshwater harvesting. However, its performance is limited by inefficient utilization of photothermal surface area and insufficient broadband solar absorption. Herein, a surface-area-activated and plasmon-enhanced photothermal absorber named BB/Ag was fabricated by integrating Ag nanoparticles onto bamboo charcoal powder (BB). This architecture preserves the hierarchical porosity of bamboo charcoal while enabling uniform plasmonic coupling at the evaporation interface. Enhanced broadband absorption (200–800 nm) intensifies interfacial heating and yields a high evaporation rate of 1.470 kgm −2 h −1 and 85.4% photothermal efficiency under 1 sun illumination, significantly outperforming Ag-free bamboo membrane. Beyond solar evaporation, the BB/Ag membrane also enables rapid methylene blue removal with a maximum adsorption rate of 93.8 mg.g −1 .h −1 , highlighting its potential as a multifunctional platform for integrated solar-driven water purification.