Scalable super hygroscopic polymer films for sustainable moisture harvesting in arid environments

Extracting atmospheric water is a sustainable strategy to enable decentralized access to safely managed water but remains impractical due to its limited daily water output at low relative humidity. Here, the authors demonstrate a hygroscopic polymer composed of renewable biomass which allows high water uptake at low relative humidity Extracting ubiquitous atmospheric water is a sustainable strategy to enable decentralized access to safely managed water but remains challenging due to its limited daily water output at low relative humidity (<= 30% RH). Here, we report super hygroscopic polymer films (SHPFs) composed of renewable biomasses and hygroscopic salt, exhibiting high water uptake of 0.64-0.96 g g(-1) at 15-30% RH. Konjac glucomannan facilitates the highly porous structures with enlarged air-polymer interfaces for active moisture capture and water vapor transport. Thermoresponsive hydroxypropyl cellulose enables phase transition at a low temperature to assist the release of collected water via hydrophobic interactions. With rapid sorption-desorption kinetics, SHPFs operate 14-24 cycles per day in arid environments, equivalent to a water yield of 5.8-13.3 L kg(-1). Synthesized via a simple casting method using sustainable raw materials, SHPFs highlight the potential for low-cost and scalable atmospheric water harvesting technology to mitigate the global water crisis.

Automated summary

By synthesizing a hygroscopic polymer film composed of renewable biomass, high water uptake at low relative humidity can be achieved, enabling the extraction of atmospheric water and addressing the global water crisis.