IIT-Guwahati develops method to harvest water from air

Context: A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) has developed a pitcher plant-inspired inexpensive method for harvesting water from humid air.

• The method, developed by spraying a sponge-like porous polymeric material on a simple A4 printer paper, can also used in underwater hulls of ships and submarines to prevent bio-fouling as well as to prevent icing on aircraft windows.
• Such water harvesting techniques use the concept of hydrophobicity or water-repelling nature of some materials such as the lotus leaf”.
• Hydrophobicity is unsuitable for water harvesting from highly humid environments because high moisture content can displace the trapped air and cause permanent damage.
• Researchers used the concept of chemically patterned slippery liquid-infused porous surface, or SLIPS for the first time to effectively harvest water from moist or foggy air.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/iit-guwahati-develops-method-to-harvest-water-from-air/article33279842.ece?homepage=true