Solar panel desalinates seawater without liquid brine waste

University of Rochester engineers used femtosecond laser treatment to make a metal panel that wicks a thin film of seawater, evaporates it and pushes salts to its edges as dry solids. The device reached about 74% solar-to-vapor efficiency and 1.76 kg/m²·h evaporation, while embedded nanoparticles recovered roughly 50% of lithium from the residue.

• Solar-to-vapor efficiency about 74%, evaporation 1.76 kg/m²·h
• Salts collect as dry solids at panel edges, nearly 100% recovery
• Hydrogen titanate nanoparticles recovered about 50% of lithium
• Tested with seawater from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans