A team of scientists from Jilin University, NYU Abu Dhabi’s Smart Materials Lab, and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials have developed a new crystalline material that can harvest water from fog without any energy input.
These novel smart crystals, named Janus crystals, are inspired by desert plants and animals, which can survive in arid conditions. For instance, desert beetles and lizards have evolved to develop surface structures that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas and effectively capture moisture from the air. Water is attracted to the hydrophilic areas and droplets are accumulated and transported through the hydrophobic areas.
The team, led by Professor of Chemistry Pance Naumov, presented their findings in a new paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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