Formation of S defects in MoS2-coated wood for high-efficiency seawater desalination

Abstract

Solar steam generation has attracted interest in water purification and seawater desalination as an efficient solar energy conversion method. However, the complex preparation process and limited efficiency restrict the practical applications of solar-generated steam. Here, we report a three-dimensional wood membrane inside coated with MoS₂ (WM-H, with S defects) for efficient seawater desalination. The vertically aligned mesoporous wood channels and their inner microstructures increase the contact interface between water and MoS₂ in wood. The formation of S defects allows the surface temperature of the membrane to reach ∼53 °C under 1 sun illumination. The MoS₂-coated wood with S defects exhibited an excellent evaporation flux (1.46 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, one sun), with a solar thermal conversion efficiency of 82.5%. The adsorption peak values of Na⁺ on the two sides of MoS₂ with defects are 2.17 times and 1.49 times higher than those of MoS₂ without defects. The wood-based design provides an inexpensive way to capture solar energy and generate steam.