“Magic” Crystals Convert Air to Water

Scientists have created revolutionary crystals that efficiently harvest water from air without using energy, mimicking desert creatures’ survival tactics.

Why it matters: Water scarcity affects billions globally, and traditional desalination methods are energy-intensive and costly. This breakthrough offers a potentially sustainable solution for accessing clean water from an unlimited atmospheric source.

• Nearly 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, according to the UN.

Key finding: The new “Janus crystals” combine water-collecting and water-delivering properties in a single material, achieving record-breaking water collection efficiency from humid air.

The process:

• Researchers developed elastic organic crystals from three chemical compounds
• Created dual-property surfaces (hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions)
• Crystals automatically collect and channel water without energy input

Keep in mind: While promising, the research is still in early stages and scaling up the technology for commercial use may present challenges.

Real-world impact: Could provide drinking water in water-scarce regions, zero-energy alternative to desalination plants, potential applications in agriculture and humanitarian aid.

• Could provide drinking water in water-scarce regions
• Zero-energy alternative to desalination plants
• Potential applications in agriculture and humanitarian aid

TL;DR

• Scientists created smart crystals that harvest water from air with record efficiency.
• The technology requires no energy input and works at ambient conditions
• The breakthrough could help combat global water scarcity through sustainable water collection.

Dive Deeper

Read the Paper: Efficient Aerial Water Harvesting with Self-Sensing Dynamic Janus Crystals
News Release: Researchers develop crystals to harvest water from air, inspired by desert life