German scientists made a sponge-like material that pulls drinking water from air

Rep ese tative
Image
of
wate
ha vesti g
tech ology
collecti g
a d
sto i g
wate
(AI-ge e ated
image)

Resea che s
at
Kiel
U ive sity
i
Ge ma y
have
developed
a
highly
po ous
mate ial
that
ca
pull
d i ki g
wate
di ectly
out
of
d y
ai ,
offe i g
a
possible
lifeli e
fo
egio s
whe e
ai fall
is
becomi g
less
eliable.
The
mate ial,
k ow
as
CAU-10-H,
behaves
like
a
spo ge,
abso bi g
wate
vapou
f om
the
atmosphe e
a d
eleasi g
it
agai
as
liquid
wate .
U de
d y
co ditio s,
o e
kilog am
of
the
composite
ca
p oduce
up
to
1.8
lit es
of
clea
d i ki g
wate
eve y
day.
Scie tists
say
the
tech ology
is
especially
suited
to
hot,
d y
egio s
a ou d
the
Medite a ea ,
whe e
isi g
tempe atu es
a d
falli g
ai fall
a e
al eady
st ai i g
f eshwate
supplies,
a d
the
same
mate ial
could
also
make
cooli g
systems
sig ifica tly
mo e
e e gy
efficie t.

How
the
spo ge-like
mate ial
pulls
wate
f om
d y
ai

CAU-10-H
belo gs
to
a
class
of
compou ds
called
metal
o ga ic
f amewo ks,
o
MOFs,
which
a e
built
f om
a
ext emely
po ous
i te al
st uctu e
filled
with
cou tless
mic oscopic,
i te co ected
cavities.
Acco di g
to
a
official
stateme t
f om
Kiel
U ive sity,
the
mate ial
captu es
wate
molecules
at
oom
tempe atu e
o ce
elative
humidity
eaches
just
18
pe
ce t,
a
level
most
existi g
systems
would
co side
too
d y
to
wo k
with.

O ce
heated
to
a ou d
70
deg ees
Celsius,
it
eleases
the
t apped
wate
agai ,
allowi g
the
cycle
to
epeat.
This
ability
to
fu ctio
i
ea
dese t-level
d y ess
is
what
sets
CAU-10-H
apa t
f om
olde
moistu e
ha vesti g
mate ials,
which
typically
eed
much
wette
ai
to
ope ate
effectively.

Why
the
mate ial
ca
be
p oduced
at
a
la ge
scale
ow

The
Kiel
team,
led
by
P ofesso
No be t
Stock
at
the
u ive sity’s
I stitute
of
I o ga ic
Chemist y,
combi ed
CAU-10-H
with
elect ically
co ductive
ca bo
st uctu es
to
speed
up
how
quickly
the
mate ial
eleases
its
sto ed
wate .
This
composite
ca
be
heated
efficie tly
usi g
eithe
elect icity
o
su light,
allowi g
it
to
complete
a
full
captu e
a d
elease
cycle
withi
just
a
few
hou s
athe
tha
a
full
day.
That
speed
matte s
because
a
mate ial
that
esets
faste
ca
p oduce
mo e
wate
ove
the
cou se
of
a
day,
eve
without
cha gi g
how
much
moistu e
it
captu es
i
a
si gle
cycle.
The
fi di gs
we e
published
ac oss
two
pape s,
o e
i
the
jou al
Jou al
of
Mate ials
Chemist y
A
titled

Elect ically
co ductive
MOF@
ca bo
foam
composites
fo
atmosphe ic
wate
ha vesti g
th ough
i te al
Joule
heati g
a d
light
i adiatio ,
desc ibi g
the
tech ical
mecha ism
behi d
the
faste
cycli g.

What
the
tests
actually
showed
about
wate
output

Labo ato y
tests
fou d
the
composite
mate ial
ca
abso b
up
to
0.17
g ams
of
wate
fo
eve y
g am
of
mate ial
u de
d y
co ditio s,
a
figu e
that
t a slates
i to
the
1.8
lit e
daily
output
esea che s
have
highlighted.
Kiel
U ive sity’s
ow
accou t
of
the
wo k
states
that
u de
d y
co ditio s,
the
system
co ti uously
p oduces
d i ki g
wate
f om
the
ai
usi g
this
uptake
ate.
P ofesso
Stock
said
the
team’s
goal
is
to
develop
a
e vi o me tally
f ie dly
tech ology
that
co ve ts
wate
molecules
f om
the
ai
i to
d i ki g
wate ,
pa ticula ly
fo
egio s
like
the
Medite a ea
that
a e
faci g
isi g
tempe atu es
a d
decli i g
ai fall.
Lasse
Weg e ,
the
lead
autho
of
the
wate
ha vesti g
study,
said
the
mate ial’s
ability
to
wo k
eve
i
a id
ai
is
what
makes
it
pa ticula ly
att active
fo
p oduci g
d i ki g
wate
i
d y
egio s.

How
the
same
mate ial
could
also
imp ove
cooli g
systems

Beyo d
d i ki g
wate ,
esea che s
fou d
that
CAU-10-H
has
a
seco d
p actical
use
as
a
ef ige a t
i side
adso ptio -based
cooli g
systems,
which
ely
o
epeated
wate
vapou
cycles
to
p oduce
a
cooli g
effect.
I
tests,
the
mate ial
delive ed
up
to
th ee
times
the
cooli g
pe fo ma ce
of
silica
gel,
the
moistu e-abso bi g
mate ial
that
has
bee
the
i dust y
sta da d
i
ma y
ai
co ditio i g
systems
fo
decades.
A
seco d
study,
published
i
the
jou al
I dust ial
a d
E gi ee i g
Chemist y
Resea ch
a d
led
by
Kalle
Me ti ,
exami ed
how
the
mate ial
pe fo ms
o ce
p oduced
at
a
la ge ,
pilot
scale,
alo gside
a
tech o-eco omic
a alysis
of
u i g
it
i side
a
full-scale
cooli g
system.
Because
CAU-10-H
ca
be
ege e ated
usi g
low-g ade
heat,
esea che s
say
futu e
cooli g
systems
built
a ou d
the
mate ial
could
u
o
waste
heat
f om
sou ces
like
data
ce t es,
facto ies
o
bake ies
i stead
of
elyi g
so
heavily
o
elect icity.

Why
this
tech ology
could
matte
fo
wate -st essed
egio s

CAU-10-H
was
actually
fi st
discove ed
at
Kiel
U ive sity
a ou d
15
yea s
ago,
a d
Stock
has
bee
studyi g
its
p ope ties
fo
mo e
tha
two
decades,
but
this
latest
wo k
ma ks
the
fi st
time
the
mate ial
has
bee
p oduced
successfully
at
a
pilot
scale
athe
tha
o ly
i
small
labo ato y
batches.
That
shift
matte s
because
a
mate ial
has
to
be
ma ufactu ed
i
much
la ge
qua tities
befo e
it
ca
move
towa d
eal-wo ld
deployme t.
The
b oade
scie tific
field
behi d
these
mate ials
eceived
global
ecog itio
whe
the
fou datio al
chemist y
of
metal
o ga ic
f amewo ks
ea ed
the
2025
Nobel
P ize
i
Chemist y,
u de li i g
how
sig ifica t
this
class
of
po ous
mate ials
has
become
fo
add essi g
wate
sca city.
With
f eshwate
supplies
al eady
u de
p essu e
ac oss
la ge
pa ts
of
the
Medite a ea
a d
othe
a id
egio s,
a
mate ial
that
ca
eliably
pull
wate
f om
ai
as
d y
as
18
pe
ce t
humidity
could
offe
a
ge ui ely
ew
oute
to
p oduci g
d i ki g
wate
whe e
co ve tio al
sou ces
a e
u i g
sho t.
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