Solar power,as one of renewable energy,holds potential application for producing steam which relies on high-temperature liquid by traditional methods.Herein,steam was generated by a bio-inspired strategy derived from the plants transpiration using a Printed Recyclable Carbon Membrane (PRCM).The membrane structure facilitated the concentration of carbon particles for the photoreaction and the heat generation for water evaporation,thereby improving the photo-thermal conversion efficiency.The PRCM achieved the best steady evaporation efficiency of 51.9％,which was 5.6 times higher than the value for water and recycling tests were demonstrated.The carbon particles were separated from the water under the magnetism action,a convenient approach that avoided secondary pollution resulting from the disintegration of the PRCM.Rapid preparation,low cost,and reusability of the printed carbon membrane allow for photo-thermal applications such as solar steam generation and seawater desalination.