ABSTRACT
Environmental pollution and clean water production are challenges to the development of human society. In this paper, devices consisting of a superhydrophobic Ni-CoFe2O4 foam layer (floating layer), a hydrophilic channel and a superhydrophilic Ni-CoFe2O4 foam layer (photothermal conversion layer) were designed. The light energy was converted into heat on the photothermal layer, for which the hydrophilic channel provided a small amount of water. The superhydrophobic layer ensured the floating and selective adsorption of organic solvents on the water surface, whose contact angle reached 157°, and the steam production rate reached 1.68 kg·m-2·h-1. Finally, the LSV curve demonstrated that the Ni-CoFe2O4 foam prepared had a minimum starting potential, achieving the multifunctionality of the Ni foam.
