Shape-transformable long-lasting superhydrophilic carbon cloth for sustainable solar vapor generation

[Display omitted] •Air plasma rapidly transforms carbon cloth into shape-transformable solar evaporator.•The evaporator is doped with O and N which likely lowers the enthalpy for evaporation.•It shows long-term wettability & salt-rejection property for stable vapor generation.•The 5-cm high evaporator shows a high evaporation rate of 3.82 kg/m2 h under one sun. Global water scarcity has spurred the quest for eco-friendly, cost-effective solar-based water desalination and purification methods. However, creating an efficient and durable solar evaporator still remains a formidable challenge. Here, we demonstrated that a rapid and straightforward air plasma activation process can transform a commercially available hydrophobic carbon cloth into a shape-transformable superhydrophilic solar evaporator enriched with nitrogen and oxygen dopants. The activated carbon cloth preserved the merits of the original material and exhibited long-term wettability and salt-rejection properties which are critical for the realization of stable solar vapor generation. Notably, the resulting activated carbon cloth achieved a remarkable vapor evaporation rate of 1.78 kg m-2 h-1 under one-sun irradiation, likely thanks to the abundance of surface intermediate waters that reduce the enthalpy required for evaporation. Furthermore, the constructed column-like solar evaporator with a 5-cm height exhibited an impressive evaporation rate of 3.82 kg m-2 h-1 under one-sun irradiation.