Addressing the challenge of water scarcity effectively involves employing a scalable, affordable, maintainable, porous, and efficient interfacial surface solar steam generator (ISSG). Herein, we explore that the efficacy of Bi-doped VO 2 (Bi:VO 2 ) as an efficient photothermal material coated on poplar wood is investigated within the ISSG of seawater. The integration enhances the photothermal conversion efficiency of VO 2 , primarily via the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The optimal performance was achieved for Bi:VO 2 with the concentration of 2 g L −1 . This configuration achieved a remarkably high evaporation flux of 3.4 kg m −2 h −1 and was achieved under the power density of 3 sun (1 sun = 1 kW m −2 ), surpassing the evaporation rate of seawater alone by sixfold. Significantly, this photoabsorber reduced Na + concentration in seawater from 1200 to 100 mg L −1 . The high ISSG performance of the Bi:VO2 photoabsorber in the ISSG can be attributed to several factors, notably the absorption of visible and near-infrared light, the SPR effect induced by Bi, and the low thermal conductiv- ity and porous structure of wood as a substrate. Furthermore, the Bi:VO 2 photoabsorber demonstrates remarkable stability, maintaining consistent efficiency even after 10 cycles.

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