Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41888521›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Engineering high environmental robustness in solar evaporation to bridge the lab-to-field performance gap.

Chang-Ting Wang, Canjie Lin, Kai Xu, Yang Liu, Zhongtao Lao, Jianping Cao, Bei Liu, Amal Baqais, Khaled Bin Bandar, Saud Aldrees and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Chang-Ting WangSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8897-9780
Canjie LinSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5351-7167
Kai XuMaterials Science Engineering, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
Yang LiuSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0985-8751
Zhongtao LaoSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Jianping CaoSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8633-388X
Bei LiuSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Amal BaqaisDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Khaled Bin BandarInstitute for Water Management and Treatment, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saud AldreesDesalination Technologies Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed A AlhussainiInstitute for Water Management and Treatment, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2871-1387
Shao-Yuan LeuDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. shao-yuan.leu@polyu.edu.hk.
Noreddine GhaffourEnvironmental Science and Engineering, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2095-4736
Qiaoqiang GanMaterials Science Engineering, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8309-5081
Wenbin WangSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. wangwb36@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0541-6609
Peng WangSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. wangp363@mail.sysu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0856-0865

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 2024M753744National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 52300020Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) 24hytd006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Downward solar evaporation with multistage configurations is a promising off-grid solution for high-efficiency potable water production. However, a major, yet often overlooked, barrier to practical application is the significant, unquantified performance gap between laboratory benchmarks and field operation, arising from the complex environmental factors. To diagnose this gap, this work first introduces the Environmental Robustness Index (ERI), the ratio of field-to-lab normalized water productivity (P'), as an essential metric. A comprehensive framework is then developed to precisely quantify the effect of key environmental factors, including wind, sky cooling, and ambient temperature, on the ERI. Guided by the framework, we present the spectrally selective air lock strategy as a universal principle to suppress environmental heat losses and improve ERIs. Implementing this strategy significantly enhances downward solar evaporator's ERIs from 0.55 to 0.98, effectively closing the gap. This study establishes a framework for solar evaporation to move beyond reporting P'

Identifiers

PMID41888521
PMCPMC13183954

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.