Journal
MACROMOLECULES
Volume 55, Issue 6, Pages 1894-1909Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01502
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Funding
- Princeton University through the Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship
- National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Princeton Center for Complex Materials Postdoctoral Fellowship
- NSF MRSEC [DMR-1420541, 2011750]
- Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund at Princeton University
- Princeton Catalysis Initiative
- Division Of Materials Research
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [2011750] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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To address the scarcity of fresh water, new technologies are needed to produce potable water from various sources. Thermoresponsive polymers, with their low-energy production and biocompatibility, offer sustainable routes for fresh water generation. This Perspective summarizes the design and application of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based thermoresponsive microgels and hydrogels, showcasing their potential for water purification.
To overcome the current scarcity of fresh water sustainably, new technologies will be required that produce potable water from a range of sources, including seawater and moisture from the atmosphere. Moreover, we must recover and reuse water from wastewater streams to reduce our global water footprint. To date, there remain significant concerns about the environmental/ecological impact, high energy consumption, and extensive maintenance costs of current technologies that might prevent their transition to more sustainable routes of potable water generation. One class of material that can enable low-energy water production is thermoresponsive polymers. Due to their unique phase behavior, production flexibility, and biocompatibility, these materials may allow for sustainable routes to fresh water in current and new technologies. In this Perspective, we specifically summarize the design and application of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)- (PNIPAm-) based thermoresponsive microgels and hydrogels. In particular, we show how these materials have been used for water purification, including wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, and moisture harvesting from the atmosphere. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of transforming current thermoresponsive materials into practical water-related technologies.
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