New material

Scientists say the new material could make it easier than ever to "draw water from the air" .

One of the "unimaginable" ways to find supplies of drinking water in areas affected by drought is "sucking" water from the air. And now, a new material developed by scientists in the US can make this "utopian" easier than ever.

Researchers at Harvard University created the material, inspired by a series of water condensation characteristics in different species, to develop a unique integrated system for extraction. and transporting water from the atmosphere.

"Everyone is excited about the bio-inspired research," said Joanna Aizenberg, a chemical biologist from Harvard Wyss Institute (UK). "However, so far, we tend to simulate a natural system at a time."

The group of scientists at Harvard said their research methods are somewhat different. The group's system combines elements from three different plants and animals to create a material that requires faster water extraction than other synthetic surfaces designed to trap condensation. country.

According to the team, there are many challenges in "sucking" water from the air. It is about controlling the size, speed and direction of the droplets, as well as the way they form and the surface flow.

New materials from US scientists will help many people live in areas where drought has clean water.(Photo: Aizenberg Lab / Harvard SEAS)

To solve this problem, scientists have copied small bumps on the shells of the Namib desert beetle, which helps them accumulate water from the air.

Scientists say that the bumps in the top part of the shell (to condense water) and the surrounding smooth parts (which work against moisture) help the insect collect water, but Aizenberg's group realizes that , convex shape of protruding parts on them can also help synthesize water.

Using the model of simulating Namib beetles, the team discovered that this mechanism of natural water trap can be enhanced by mimicking the shape and slope of cactus spines, helping to collect water droplets easily. than.

By combining a nano coating designed to simulate the smooth surface of a warm lid, the new material can facilitate the formation of larger droplets.

"Through the experiment, we found that the shape of the humps can facilitate water condensation , " said Kyoo-Chul Park, one of the researchers.

"By optimizing the shape of the hump through a detailed theoretical model and combining it with the symmetrical form of cactus spines with almost frictionless cover of the warm lid, we designed a materials can collect and transport larger amounts of water in a shorter time than other materials. "

This new material can also be combined with another technology called Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces that helps materials collect water in ways that are considered impossible.

"The humps are reasonably designed to incorporate these mechanisms that can develop and transport large water droplets, even against gravity and overcome the effects of an unfavorable temperature gradient," he said. The article is published in the journal Nature.

This technique not only helps to collect water from the air in areas affected by drought, it can also be used to enhance water condensation in industrial machinery.

"You can take, for example, a thermoelectric plant, based on condensers to quickly convert water vapor into liquid water , " said Philseok Kim, a member of the team. "This design can help speed up the process and even allow it to operate at higher temperatures, significantly improving overall performance."

With about 1.2 billion people worldwide living with water scarcity and two-thirds of the world's population lacking monthly water, the potential of technology like this can make a huge difference to the lives of many people.