In our Advanced Energy Materials 2016 paper, we have successfully synthesized ultra-black TiO2-x nanoparticles for water evaporation by coating and superhydrophobization of them on a stainless steel mesh. Increase of x in TiO2-x resulted in a darker material leading to more efficient solar energy to heat conversion and thus more efficient water evaporation. We believe that the high solar thermal conversion efficiency, low cost, low-toxicity, and good chemical stability make black TiO2-x nanoparticles a potentially useful material for converting solar energy to thermal energy for evaporation of seawater or brackish water in remote and rural areas where access to a centralized drinking water supply is unavailable.
The full article can be read on the Advanced Energy Materials website.