Scientists create crystals to pull water from air

November 22, 2024

A team of researchers from Jilin University, NYU Abu Dhabi’s Smart Materials Lab, and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials, led by Professor of Chemistry Pance Naumov, has developed a new crystalline material that can harvest water from fog without any energy input.

This innovative type of smart crystal, Janus crystals, is inspired by desert plants and animals that thrive in arid conditions.

For instance, desert beetles and lizards have evolved surface structures with hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) areas, effectively capturing moisture from the air.

Water is attracted to the hydrophilic areas and is then accumulated and transported through the hydrophobic regions.

Crystals

Professor Naumov explained, “The crystals developed by our team not only take advantage of the mechanical flexibility and optical transparency of organic crystals, but they also pave the way for designing active, self-sensing, and efficient surface-active harvesters. When employed on a larger scale, these materials could help combat water scarcity on a societal level.”

The research findings are detailed in the paper titled “Efficient Aerial Water Harvesting with Self-Sensing Dynamic Janus Crystals,” recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The research team identified three organic compounds with high chemical versatility for cultivating elastic organic crystals.

Researchers tested how different materials interact with airborne water, forming Janus crystals.

These crystals possess distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on their surfaces. The hydrophilic area effectively captures water, while the hydrophobic section facilitates the transfer of collected water to a designated receptacle.

The Janus crystals demonstrate an exceptionally high efficiency in capturing humidity from the atmosphere, showcasing a remarkable ability for water collection.

The slim, light-translucent designs enable researchers to observe the process of fog droplet collection and condensation in real-time, using light as a monitoring tool.

Water from air

Desalination is a widely utilized method for generating potable water from saltwater. However, this process of extracting dissolved salt requires significant energy input, making it an energy-intensive solution.

The Janus crystals enable airborne humidity or fog to condense spontaneously under ambient conditions.

This process allows for efficient moisture collection without the need for additional energy input, highlighting the unique properties of these crystals in facilitating water harvesting from the environment.

It requires no energy input, potentially providing an endless source of clean water.

The Janus crystals significantly advance over previously reported porous organic crystals by integrating water collection and delivery functionalities on their surfaces.

This innovative design facilitates a highly efficient water harvesting process, optimizing water collection even in ambient conditions.

“The Earth’s atmosphere contains an abundance of untapped fresh water, but we urgently need materials that can effectively capture and collect this humidity and condense it into potable water,” said Naumov.