MIT creates graphite sponge to efficiently sterilize water

On the left, a representative structure for localization of heat;
the cross section of structure and temperature distribution.
On the right, a picture of enhanced steam generation
by the DLS structure under solar illumination.

MIT creates graphite ‘solar sponge’ that converts sunlight into steam with 85% efficiency | ExtremeTech
Solar steam generation by heat localization : Nature Communications : Nature Publishing Group
MIT creates graphite sponge to efficiently sterilize water | Digital Trends
Steam from the sun | MIT News Office

A new material structure developed at MIT generates steam by soaking up the sun.
The structure — a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam — is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on water. When sunlight hits the structure’s surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite, drawing water up through the material’s pores, where it evaporates as steam. The brighter the light, the more steam is generated.

The new material is able to convert 85 percent of incoming solar energy into steam — a significant improvement over recent approaches to solar-powered steam generation. What’s more, the setup loses very little heat in the process, and can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity. This would mean that, if scaled up, the setup would likely not require complex, costly systems to highly concentrate sunlight.

Hadi Ghasemi, a postdoc in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, says the spongelike structure can be made from relatively inexpensive materials — a particular advantage for a variety of compact, steam-powered applications.

Hadi Ghasemi - Google Scholar Citations

Solar steam generation by heat localization - ncomms5449.pdf