GUWAHATI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed novel materials that can efficiently harvest water from humid air.
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A research team led by Dr. Uttam Manna, Associate Professor, Chemistry Department and Centre of Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati, along with his research scholars Kousik Maji, Avijit Das, and Manideepa Dhar, has published the results of this path-breaking work in the prestigious journal of The Royal Society of Chemistry.
With increasing water scarcity throughout the world, there have been attempts to collect and conserve water through non-traditional means. Scientists have turned to nature to design ways of water harvesting.
“Such water-harvesting techniques use the concept of hydrophobicity or water-repelling nature of some materials," explains Dr. Manna in a press release. The research team from IIT Guwahati has used the concept of chemically patterned SLIPS for the first time, to effectively harvest water from moist air.
“We have produced a highly efficient water harvesting interface where the fog collecting rate is as high as 4400±190 mg/cm2/h,” further added the lead researcher, Dr. Uttam Manna.
Apart from water harvesting, SLIPS could be used for other purposes such as easily cleanable household appliances, in underwater hulls of ships and submarines to prevent biofouling and anti-icing windows for aircraft.