Surface evaporation enhancement using porous metasurfaces: 3-D multiscale, open-system wick evaporators

•Porous metasurfaces are proposed and tested for surface evaporation enhancement.•3-D multiscale wicks are made of sintered Cu powder and used for water evaporation.•Combination of monolayer and irrigating arteries achieves excellent performance.•Capillary-viscous and heat transfer limits explain the maximum evaporation rate.•Analysis predicts further evaporation enhancement with optimal wick geometry.