Low-cost high-efficiency solar steam generator by combining thin film evaporation and heat localization: Both experimental and theoretical study

Generating water steam is a significant process for many fields. By combining heat localization and thin-film evaporation, a low-cost high-efficiency solar steam generator is proposed here. The measurements show that the energy efficiency is 78% at 1 kW/m2. Meanwhile, the experimental results agree well with our theoretical prediction based on thin-film evaporation theory. Besides, the dependence of efficiency on particle concentration and size are discussed. It's found that the performance of the generator has a weak correlation to a few different particles (graphite, graphene, MoS2, and carbon nanotubes). This work offers a new in-depth understanding of high-efficiency solar steam generation and shows an example of using nanotechnology in practical application by a cheap and simple way.