Made of a special type of paper coated with a compound called titanium nitride oxide, the material heats rapidly and vaporizes water when exposed to the sun. The resulting water vapor is then condensed and collected via a container with a sloped quartz roof.
The researchers found that water desalinated using the technology contains lower levels of salt than ordinary drinking water. They added that the desalination unit can be rapidly deployed in remote seaside areas without access to potable water.
The findings of the study were published in the journal
AIP Advances.
Breaking down the desalination unit
The entire desalination unit consists of a box with a sloped quartz roof. Inside the box is a reservoir of seawater and above this is an evaporation unit, which purifies seawater by vaporizing it.