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Scalable super hygroscopic polymer films for sustainable moisture harvesting in arid environments

Author

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  • Youhong Guo

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Weixin Guan

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Chuxin Lei

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Hengyi Lu

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Wen Shi

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

  • Guihua Yu

    (The University of Texas at Austin)

Abstract

Extracting ubiquitous atmospheric water is a sustainable strategy to enable decentralized access to safely managed water but remains challenging due to its limited daily water output at low relative humidity (≤30% RH). Here, we report super hygroscopic polymer films (SHPFs) composed of renewable biomasses and hygroscopic salt, exhibiting high water uptake of 0.64–0.96 g g−1 at 15–30% RH. Konjac glucomannan facilitates the highly porous structures with enlarged air-polymer interfaces for active moisture capture and water vapor transport. Thermoresponsive hydroxypropyl cellulose enables phase transition at a low temperature to assist the release of collected water via hydrophobic interactions. With rapid sorption-desorption kinetics, SHPFs operate 14–24 cycles per day in arid environments, equivalent to a water yield of 5.8–13.3 L kg−1. Synthesized via a simple casting method using sustainable raw materials, SHPFs highlight the potential for low-cost and scalable atmospheric water harvesting technology to mitigate the global water crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Youhong Guo & Weixin Guan & Chuxin Lei & Hengyi Lu & Wen Shi & Guihua Yu, 2022. "Scalable super hygroscopic polymer films for sustainable moisture harvesting in arid environments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-30505-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30505-2
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    1. He Shan & Chunfeng Li & Zhihui Chen & Wenjun Ying & Primož Poredoš & Zhanyu Ye & Quanwen Pan & Jiayun Wang & Ruzhu Wang, 2022. "Exceptional water production yield enabled by batch-processed portable water harvester in semi-arid climate," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.

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