A bifunctional wood membrane modified by MoS₂/covalent organic framework heterojunctions for effective solar-driven water evaporation and contaminant degradation

Interfacial solar evaporation technology is considered one of the most promising strategies for alleviating the scarcity of freshwater resources. However, solar-driven evaporation technology cannot eliminate the pollutants in the residual wastewater. To solve this problem, we have prepared a two-in-one solar-driven evaporation/photocatalysis system by decorating MoS₂/covalent organic framework (COF) heterojunctions on wood (MoS₂/COF-wood). Thanks to the unique porous structure of wood, it provides a strong guarantee for water transport and vapor release during the evaporation process. The introduction of MoS₂ and COFs can promote the breaking of hydrogen bonds between water molecules, which leads to a significant decrease in the enthalpy of evaporation, achieving a water evaporation rate as high as 2.17 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ under 1 sun irradiation. Meanwhile, the resulting MoS₂/COF-wood exhibits good salt resistance and reusability. In addition, the heterojunctions formed between COFs and MoS₂ can effectively inhibit charge carrier complexation and improve the photocatalytic degradation ability of pollutants (over 99%). This study highlights the construction strategy of bifunctional wood-based materials for freshwater production and wastewater remediation.