Scalable porous Al foil/reduced graphene oxide/Mn3O4 composites for efficient fresh water generation

Harvesting and converting renewable solar energy into thermal energy has attracted tremendous attraction due to the high conversion efficiency of the photothermal technique. However, the practical large-scale application of photothermal conversion is hindered by ineffective system designs, complex preparation process and poor mechanical properties. Herein, a facile strategy is applied to assemble Al foil/reduced graphene oxide/Mn3O4 (Al/RGO/Mn3O4) composite film with a few outstanding features, including the broadband absorption, high mechanical strength and scalable production, for photothermal vaporization. The Al/RGO/Mn3O4 composite film prepared by a spontaneously fabricating method can efficiently collect and convert the ubiquitous solar energy into steam, demonstrating a evaporation rate of 1.65 kg m−2 h−1 under one sun and an excellent stability for desalination. The reducing/assembling strategy at room temperature may provide potential opportunity for practical large-scale photothermal applications.