Science Daily February 28, 2022
Hygroscopic materials have attracted widespread attention because of their water harvesting performance. However, the introduction of many inorganic salts often leads to aggregation and leakage issues in practical use. Researchers at UT Austin have developed polyzwitterionic hydrogels as an effective Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) material platform. Via anti-polyelectrolyte effects, the hygroscopic salt coordinated with polymer chains could capture moisture and enhance the swelling property, leading to a strong moisture sorption capacity. The hydrogel showed (0.62 g g−1, 120 minutes for equilibrium at 30 % relative humidity) and produced 5.87 L kg−1 freshwater per day. According to the researchers the polyzwitterionic hydrogels with unique salt-responsive properties could provide new insights into the design and synthesis of next-generation AWH materials… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2022