Solar-driven interfacial vapor generation provides a sustainable solution to global water scarcity, but balancing high evaporation rates, durable solar-thermal conversion, and salt resistance remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a novel cement-based solar evaporator (CSE) featuring a multi-scale hierarchical pore structure, fabricated via cost-effective vacuum casting. The CSE's metasurface comprises about 7000 aligned micro-honeycomb pores (150 μm diameter) per square centimeter, expanding the evaporation area by 623% and enabling 96.9% broadband light absorption. Nano-scale gel pores from cement hydration weaken water hydrogen bonds, reducing vaporization enthalpy by 80%. This synergy achieves an evaporation rate of 5.47 kg m−2 h−1 under one-sun illumination (93.3% efficiency) and 1.90 kg m−2 h−1 under dark conditions. Moreover, the unique open-closed dual-pore architecture, wherein open pores enable rapid salt ion diffusion and closed pores suppress heat loss, ensures continuous seawater desalination for over 30 days without performance degradation or salt accumulation. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) reveals a 99% reduction in environmental impact. By transforming cement, the world's most abundant construction material, into a metasurface-engineered evaporator, this work offers a durable and scalable solution for solar desalination.
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2026 The Author(s). Carbon Energy published by Wenzhou University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
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