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A new class of materials that can passively harvest water from air
A serendipitous observation in a Chemical Engineering lab at Penn Engineering has led to a surprising discovery: a new class of nanostructured materials that can … Read More ›
Before they understood what was happening, the researchers first thought that water was simply condensing onto the surface of the material due toan artifact of their experimental setup, such as a temperature gradient in the lab. Made from common polymers and nanoparticles using scalable fabrication methods, these films could be integrated into passive water harvesting devices for arid regions, surfaces for cooling electronics or smart coatings that respond to ambient humidity. The next steps include studying how to optimize the balance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic components, scale the material for real-world use and investigating how to make the collected droplets roll off surfaces efficiently.
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