Salt-responsive evaporation behavior of chitosan-based hydrogels: driven by dual-mechanism synergy for efficient seawater desalination

Key Points

• The study aims to explore the evaporation behavior of chitosan-based hydrogels in seawater desalination under varying salt conditions.
• Developed chitosan-based hydrogels with a dual-mechanism for enhanced evaporation.
• Assessed the impact of salt concentration on the evaporation rate of hydrogels.
• Chitosan hydrogels showed significantly enhanced evaporation rates under saline conditions.
• Demonstrated a dual-mechanism that synergistically improves desalination efficiency.