Impact of Noncondensable Gases on Solar‐Driven Evaporation
Abstract
ABSTRACT Solar‐driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) has emerged as a promising approach for sustainable clean water harvesting, wastewater treatment, and resource recovery by leveraging photothermal transduction to confine heat energy at the water‐vapor interface. Although remarkable water production rates above 5.0 L.m −2 .h −1 have been made possible by substantial advancements in photothermal materials and device architectures, the buildup of non‐condensable gases (NCGs) continues to hinder practical deployment. NCGs, originating from dissolved air, organic decomposition, and biological activity, converge at the liquid‐vapor interface, forming a mass‐transfer barrier that inhibits vapor diffusion and leads to fogging inside the condensation chamber. This phenomenon not only suppresses water yield but also compromises optical transparency and long‐term system stability. In this review, we discuss the sources, transport mechanisms, and impacts of NCG accumulation on evaporation efficiency, condensation dynamics, and water quality. We summarize recent strategies to mitigate NCG‐induced fogging, including chamber design optimization, gas‐purging techniques, membrane‐assisted separation, and catalytic decomposition. Furthermore, we highlight knowledge gaps in quantifying NCG concentration under operating conditions and propose standardized testing protocols for evaluating anti‐fogging performance. Finally, we outline future research directions for developing fouling‐resistant, self‐purging, and gas‐selective solar evaporators that remain efficient under realistic, fluctuating outdoor conditions. Addressing NCG accumulation is crucial to unlock the full potential of SDIE technologies for decentralized, energy‐efficient clean water generation in both low‐resource and industrial settings.
Article Details
Authors (16)
Muhammad Sultan Irshad
Collaborative Innovation Center For Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co‐constructed by the Province and Ministry Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials School of New Energy and Electrical Engineering Hubei University Wuhan P. R. China
Bushra Shakoor
Naila Arshad
State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen P. R. China
Iftikhar Ahmed
Environmental and Public Health Department College of Health Sciences Abu Dhabi University Abu Dhabi UAE
Xiaochao Fan
School of Energy Engineering Xinjiang Institute of Engineering Urumqi Xinjiang P. R. China
Wenlu Li
Zhejiang Collaborative Innovation Center for the Brain Diseases with Integrative Medicine, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
Naveed Mushtaq
School of Physics, Electronics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Huaihua University 5 , Huaihua, Hunan 418008,
Muhammad Sohail Asghar
Collaborative Innovation Center For Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co‐constructed by the Province and Ministry Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials School of New Energy and Electrical Engineering Hubei University Wuhan P. R. China
Ghazala Maqsood
Collaborative Innovation Center For Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co‐constructed by the Province and Ministry Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials School of New Energy and Electrical Engineering Hubei University Wuhan P. R. China
Muhammad Atif Ali
Collaborative Innovation Center For Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co‐constructed by the Province and Ministry Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials School of New Energy and Electrical Engineering Hubei University Wuhan P. R. China
Liangyou Lin
Collaborative Innovation Center For Advanced Organic Chemical Materials Co‐constructed by the Province and Ministry Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials School of New Energy and Electrical Engineering Hubei University Wuhan P. R. China
Hao Wang
Division of Quantitative Sciences, Department of Oncology Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA
Tao Mei
Van‐Duong Dao
Faculty of Biotechnology Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Phenikaa School of Engineering Phenikaa University Hanoi Vietnam
Nang Xuan Ho
Xianbao Wang