Nanofiber Fabric Can Accumulate Drinkable Water Straight From The Air

Getting water out of the air certainly isn’t a new idea. But scientists from the University of Akron are developing a special nanofiber fabric that can be used to get water even in the driest areas of the world.

By jenny downing (glass half-full) CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

We can already get water out of the air using so-called vapor collectors that work by collecting small droplets of vapor. And depending on the material used they are capable of accumulating about 2 – 10 % of air humidity. But they are certainly not perfect. Their practical use is limited to high altitudes and mountain areas with flowing cold air.

This is where modern technology could help. A special fabric made from nanofibers can get water from the air even in areas that are drier. The key is a membrane made using a technique known as electrostatic spinning. The nanofibers are wrapped by fragments of expanded graphite. The structure thus looks like spaghetti around meatballs. And the high ratio between the surface area and volume gives a lot of space for condensation to happen. Then it’s just a matter of heating or compressing the material to get water out of it.

Scientists say up to 180 liters of water per square meter of the material might be collected (under ideal circumstances) per day. The technology doesn’t require electricity to work but using a coolant will prove beneficial in very arid areas such as deserts.

Sources:

• https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/nanofiber-cloth-pulls-water-from-air/
• https://www.newscientist.com/article/2177538-nanofibre-net-draws-drinking-water-from-the-air-for-drought-hit-people/

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