Publication

Abstract : Interfacial evaporation is the technique of localized heating at the air–liquid interface. The inception of this methodology revolves around the fact that evaporation is a surface phenomenon. This distinctive method has miscellaneous applications in thermal sterilization and solar desalination. Numerous research literature have been targeted to augment solar-based interfacial systems in recent years. These systems exploit solar irradiance to achieve localized heating by utilizing an interfacial membrane to generate steam at the water interface. Recently, a contemporary electric interfacial methodology was formulated to overcome salient shortcomings of the solar-based interfacial systems. This paper elucidates a comparative study between solar-based and electrically driven interfacial evaporation approaches. Through systematic experimentation, we determined that the water-steam conversion efficiency for electrically driven systems is approximately 38% higher than that of solar-based systems. In coherence to this, an instantaneous thermal response is witnessed where the evaporation rate is practically 148 times faster than conventional volumetric heating. The above results are procured using highly economical and durable materials. Hence, this allows an interfacial approach to be assimilated into existing thermal applications with minimal expenditure and maintenance.