Copper Oxide Microtufts on Natural Fractals for Efficient Water Harvesting.

Vipul Sharma,Kimmo Lahtonen,Harri Ali-Löytty,Anastasia Koivikko,Veikko Sariola,Kyriacos Yiannacou

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03497

Vipul Sharma, Kimmo Lahtonen + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c03497

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Abstract

Hierarchical surfaces that aid in the droplet nucleation, growth, and removal is highly desirable for fog and moisture harvesting applications. Taking inspiration from the unique architecture of leaf skeletons, we present a multiscale surface capable of rapidly nucleating, growing, and directional transport of the water droplets. Copper oxide microtufts were fabricated onto the Ficus religiosa leaf skeletons via electroplating and chemical oxidation techniques. The fabricated surfaces with microtufts had high wettability and very good fog harvesting ability. CuO surfaces tend to become hydrophobic over time because of the adsorption of the airborne species. The surfaces were efficient in fog harvesting even when the hydrophobic coating is present. The overall water collection efficiencies were determined, and the role of the microtufts, fractal structures, and the orientation of leaf veins was investigated. Compared to the planar control surfaces, the noncoated and hydrophobic layer-coated copper oxide microtufts on the leaf skeletons displayed a significant increase in the fog harvesting efficiency. For superhydrophilic skeleton surfaces, the water collection rate was also observed to slightly vary with the vein orientation. The CuO microtufts along with high surface area fractals allowed an effective and sustainable way to capture and transport water. The study is expected to provide valuable insights into the design and fabrication of sustainable and efficient fog harvesting systems.

Highlights

Billions of people around the world are suffering from the lack of drinking water because of population explosion, rapid industrial development, and heavy pollution.[1]
We have proposed the use of leaf-inspired superhydrophilic tracks for efficient water transport and collection.[7]
A combination of simple electrodeposition and oxidation method was introduced, which can coat the surface of the leaf skeleton conformally in 3D

Summary

Introduction

Billions of people around the world are suffering from the lack of drinking water because of population explosion, rapid industrial development, and heavy pollution.[1] This shortage or lack of freshwater resources is, directly and indirectly, affecting the lives of billions of people across the globe and is a matter of serious concern. The problem has escalated beyond arid regions, and Asia,[2] South Africa,[3] and the Czech Republic[4] are a few examples. Desalination is one of the important methods currently to resolve the water crisis and mainly involves distillation-based mechanisms.[5] desalination processes require a tremendous amount of energy and high operating costs, meaning huge investments, high maintenance costs, and significant carbon emission.[6] Apart from the desalination of seawater, water collection from the atmosphere (moisture and fog) is a promising method to address the water crisis.[7−9] This method is relatively simple, cost-effective, and is a sustainable way for water collection

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Conclusion