Materials first. Systems second.
HelioVap uses a porous B₄C based photothermal platform to localize solar energy at the water and air interface.
- 01Sunlight
- 02Interfacial Heat
- 03Vapor
- 04Freshwater
Capture
Broad spectrum solar absorption
A porous, light absorbing composite takes in energy across the solar spectrum rather than a narrow band, and holds up in saline conditions where many absorbers degrade.
Photothermal material under direct sunlight. Show the surface texture and how completely it absorbs light.
Localize
Heat where evaporation happens
Energy is concentrated in a thin thermal layer at the surface instead of through the whole volume, so heat arrives where the phase change actually occurs. The porous structure wicks source water back to that layer as it evaporates.
Simple scientific schematic: incoming light, the heated interface, vapour leaving, salt staying below.
Collect
From vapor to usable freshwater
Vapour meets a cooler transparent surface, condenses, and is channelled away from the source water. Closing the gap between what evaporates and what is collected is the current engineering priority.
Condensation droplets on the transparent prototype structure. Real hardware, shot close.
Laboratory evaporation rate under simulated 1 sun illumination. This is a material level measurement, not the freshwater output of a complete system.