A team of Chinese scientists from the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication and Beihang University created a two-stranded thread that captures and collects water in fog. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Polymer Science (PolySci).
According to the authors of the development, the technology was inspired by natural mechanisms such as hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterns in the shells of desert insects and the ability of spider silk to transport moisture.
The yarn consists of water-repellent polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) and water-absorbing hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers.
Using electrospinning and twisting techniques, the team designed a yarn with alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments, creating a structure that mimics nature’s water harvesting mechanisms.
Hydrophobic segments promote rapid accumulation of water droplets, while hydrophilic segments enhance the transport of these droplets, allowing faster coalescence and aggregation.
When tested in a controlled fog environment, the yarn showed significant improvements in water collection efficiency.
Experts noted that the combination of hydrophobic water capture and hydrophilic water transport is much more effective than using homogeneous filaments.
Previous scientists was created Cooling and water collection system that works without electricity.