Freshwater scarcity demands innovative solutions that combine efficiency, durability, and scalability. Here, CuMnCrO₄ (CMCO), is presented as a ternary spinel oxide photothermal absorber introduced for the first time in solar desalination, synthesized via co-substitution of Mn₃O₄ with Cu and Cr. This multi-cation design narrows the bandgap from 2.3 to 1.49 eV, markedly enhancing solar absorption across the visible and near-infrared spectrum and enabling efficient light-to-heat conversion. Unlike conventional carbon or single-oxide-based systems, CMCO demonstrates record-high evaporation performance of 4.1 kg m^-2 h^-1 under 1-sun, positioning it among the most efficient oxide-based ISSG materials reported to date. Equally novel is the integration of CMCO with a cotton fabric substrate and hydrophobic polyester strips in an inverted U-shaped configuration, which ensures continuous water wicking, localized salt separation, and mechanical robustness. This architecture delivers stable operation over three weeks without salt accumulation, overcoming a long-standing challenge in ISSG. Furthermore, the system retains high efficiency under strongly acidic/alkaline conditions and in oil- or dye-contaminated water, demonstrating unique resilience rarely reported in solar desalination systems. Finally, the modular design enables straightforward scalability from laboratory-scale strips to large-area panels. Together, these advances establish CMCO-based systems as a new materials platform for practical, durable, and scalable solar desalination, offering a sustainable pathway toward addressing global water scarcity.

Solar Desalination Solar desalination offers a sustainable route to freshwater but is often hindered by low evaporation rates and salt fouling. In article number 2501360, Ji-Hyun Jang and co-workers demonstrated that La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 enables efficient photothermal conversion via intra-band trap states, achieving a high evaporation rate of 3.40 kg m−2 h under one sun. Additionally, its edge-directed salt management effectively prevents surface fouling.

Freshwater scarcity demands innovative solutions that combine efficiency, durability, and scalability. Here, CuMnCrO₄ (CMCO), is presented as a ternary spinel oxide photothermal absorber introduced for the first time in solar desalination, synthesized via co-substitution of Mn₃O₄ with Cu and Cr. This multi-cation design narrows the bandgap from 2.3 to 1.49 eV, markedly enhancing solar absorption across the visible and near-infrared spectrum and enabling efficient light-to-heat conversion. Unlike conventional carbon or single-oxide-based systems, CMCO demonstrates record-high evaporation performance of 4.1 kg m^-2 h^-1 under 1-sun, positioning it among the most efficient oxide-based ISSG materials reported to date. Equally novel is the integration of CMCO with a cotton fabric substrate and hydrophobic polyester strips in an inverted U-shaped configuration, which ensures continuous water wicking, localized salt separation, and mechanical robustness. This architecture delivers stable operation over three weeks without salt accumulation, overcoming a long-standing challenge in ISSG. Furthermore, the system retains high efficiency under strongly acidic/alkaline conditions and in oil- or dye-contaminated water, demonstrating unique resilience rarely reported in solar desalination systems. Finally, the modular design enables straightforward scalability from laboratory-scale strips to large-area panels. Together, these advances establish CMCO-based systems as a new materials platform for practical, durable, and scalable solar desalination, offering a sustainable pathway toward addressing global water scarcity.

Solar Desalination Solar desalination offers a sustainable route to freshwater but is often hindered by low evaporation rates and salt fouling. In article number 2501360, Ji-Hyun Jang and co-workers demonstrated that La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 enables efficient photothermal conversion via intra-band trap states, achieving a high evaporation rate of 3.40 kg m−2 h under one sun. Additionally, its edge-directed salt management effectively prevents surface fouling.

Abstract Solar desalination offers a sustainable solution for freshwater production with minimal carbon emissions by utilizing solar energy. However, the efficiency of solar‐vapor generation is often limited due to its high energy demands, resulting in low water evaporation rates under natural sunlight. To overcome this challenge, La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 , an oxide perovskite is introduced that acts as a highly efficient photothermal material. It effectively converts solar energy into heat by forming intra‐band trap states, which facilitate non‐radiative recombination of photoexcited electrons and holes, thereby enhancing heat release through thermalization. A key obstacle in solar desalination is salt accumulation, which can degrade material performance over time. To mitigate this, a novel device design is developed that enables one‐directional fluid flow, establishing a salt gradient that pushes salt to the edges of the photothermal material, significantly reducing fouling and light shielding. By combining La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 with this innovative design, an impressive solar evaporation rate of 3.40 kg m⁻ 2 h⁻¹ under one sun is achieved, while ensuring strong antifouling capabilities in complex environments. This work demonstrates a breakthrough approach to enhancing the efficiency and durability of solar desalination through advanced material engineering and smart design.

Antimony‐based materials have gained significant attention as anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity and excellent rate performance. However, metal sulfides such as Cu 2 S and Sb 2 S 3 exhibit an initial capacity drop followed by a subsequent capacity recovery. To address these challenges, copper antimony sulfide (CuSbS 2 ) is synthesized and evaluated as an anode material for SIBs. The synthesized CuSbS 2 effectively mitigates these capacity variations (330 mAhg −1 at 2.0 Ag −1 after 200th cycles) and demonstrates superior rate performance. Moreover, comprehensive electrochemical analyses, including the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis from in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), capacitive contribution assessment, and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) measurements, confirm its improved kinetic properties compared to Sb 2 S 3 . This study provides valuable insights into the rational design of bimetallic sulfides and contributes to the advancement of electrochemical performance analysis and the development of high‐performance SIB anode materials.

Despite its great potential for solar-driven hydrogen production, including its noncorrosive nature, suitable bandgap (1.9-2.2 eV), abundance, high theoretical efficiency (15.4%), and photochemical stability, hematite photoanodes face limitations such as poor conductivity, low charge separation efficiency, short hole diffusion length (2-4 nm), and high onset potential. To address these challenges, several strategies have been investigated, including nanostructuring, morphological tuning, compositing, and doping. Among these, doping has proven to be the most effective, owing to its relative simplicity and significant impact on key properties. Each dopant plays a distinct role: Ti, Sn, Zr, and Ta enhance conductivity and band structure; Al and Si improve stability and reduce recombination; while Mn and Co boost catalytic activity. Despite extensive studies on single-element doping, multielement (co)doping remains limited, particularly in understanding synergistic effects. In this perspective, we discuss how the limitations introduced by one dopant can be mitigated through the incorporation of another. For example, Ge- or Sn-doped hematite exhibits high formation energies, while Al doping induces significant lattice shrinkage. However, introducing Ti into such systems can simultaneously reduce the formation energy and minimize strain, making hematite a more stable and efficient photoanode. We strategically explore the chemistry of combining dopants, particularly metal-metal and metal-nonmetal pairs, to tackle multiple bottlenecks concurrently. This perspective highlights these emerging concepts as a scalable and rational approach to unlocking the full potential of hematite-based photoanodes for efficient solar water splitting.

ConspectusGraphene, a groundbreaking two-dimensional (2D) material, has attracted significant attention across various fields due to its exceptional properties. However, 2D graphene sheets tend to restack or agglomerate, reducing their performance and active surface area. To overcome these limitations and expand graphene’s potential applications, researchers have developed three-dimensional (3D) graphene structures with diverse architectures, including 3D graphene fibers, foams, aerogels, hydrogels, tubes, and cages. These structures, along with modifications such as functionalization, doping, preintercalation, and compositing, prevent stacking and enhance specific properties for targeted applications.3D graphene’s high surface area, mechanical stability, lightweight nature, and abundant active sites make it ideal for applications requiring superior optical properties, thermal and electronic conductivity, and structural stability. Additionally, its unique architecture and chemical modifications facilitate efficient electron, ion, and mass transport. This makes 3D graphene highly suitable for various applications, including batteries, solar cells, supercapacitors, water splitting, and solar desalination.Despite these advancements, further improvements are needed to enhance the commercial feasibility and adaptability of 3D graphene. A deeper understanding of how synthesis techniques and chemical modifications influence its properties is crucial, as current knowledge remains limited. Achieving precise control over its properties during the transition from 2D graphene or polymers to 3D graphene also remains a significant challenge. Additionally, while graphene prices have decreased over the years, it remains relatively expensive compared to alternative materials, and scaling up production while maintaining high quality continues to be a major barrier.In this Account, we provide a comprehensive analysis of various synthesis methods and chemical modifications of 3D graphene, emphasizing its transformative potential across energy storage, energy conversion, and environmental applications. We explore a range of chemical strategies, including the manipulation of structural building blocks, preintercalation, doping, compositing, functionalization, and synthesis, and their effects on different applications. By highlighting recent advancements in 3D graphene research and addressing the challenges hindering its commercial adoption, we aim to underscore its significance and the critical challenges that remain in its development and application within materials science and engineering.

Solar desalination offers an eco-friendly method for producing clean water with minimal carbon emissions by utilizing solar energy. However, the process of solar-vapor generation is highly energy-intensive, resulting in low evaporation rates under natural sunlight. Here, we present La₀.₇Sr₀.₃MnO₃, an oxide perovskite, as a photothermal material capable of efficiently converting solar light into heat. This is achieved by creating intra-band trap states that facilitate heat release through thermalization via non-radiative recombination of photoexcited electrons and holes. A key challenge in solar desalination is ensuring material stability and mitigating salt accumulation. Our specially designed device addresses this by enabling one-directional fluid flow, creating a salt gradient that directs salt accumulation to the edges of the photothermal material, thus minimizing fouling. Combining La₀.₇Sr₀.₃MnO₃ with this innovative design achieves a solar evaporation rate of 3.08 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under one sun, while also demonstrating effective antifouling in complex environments. This work highlights a practical strategy to enhance solar desalination efficiency and durability through advanced materials and design.