Natural materials based on cellulose such as wood, paper, and foams have received extensive attention in the context of clean energy, fresh water, and environment. In this issue of Joule, Hu and coworkers report their findings related to the use of different types of wood for solar steam generation. They relate the solar steam generation efficiency to the microstructure and thermal properties of the wood employed as interfacial evaporator and provide design rules for the rational selection of wood for solar steam generation.
