A team of Chinese scientists from the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication and Beihang University have created a two-strand yarn that captures and collects water from fog. The study was published in the scientific journal Polymer Science (PolySci).
According to the authors of the development, the technology was inspired by such natural mechanisms as hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterns on the shells of desert beetles and the ability of spider silk to transport moisture.
The yarn is composed 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 the water-harvesting mechanisms of nature.
Hydrophobic sections promote rapid accumulation of water droplets, while hydrophilic sections improve the transport of these droplets, allowing for faster coalescence and collection.
When tested in a controlled fog environment, the yarn demonstrated significant improvements in water collection efficiency.
The combination of hydrophobic water capture and hydrophilic water transport was much more effective than using homogeneous filaments, the experts noted.
