Preparation and properties of a metal-organic frameworks polymer material based on Sa-son seed gum capable of simultaneously absorbing liquid water and water vapor

Abstract

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology has attracted significant attention as an effective strategy to tackle the global shortage of freshwater resources. Work has focused on the use of hydrogel-based composite adsorbents in water harvesting and water conservation. The approaches adopted to make use of hygroscopic inorganic salts which subject to a “salting out” effect. In this study, we report the first use of modified UIO-66-NH2 as a functional steric cross-linker and Sa-son seed gum was used as polymeric substrate to construct super hygroscopic hydrogels by free radical copolymerization. The maximum water uptake on SMAGs (572 cm3·g−1) outperforms pure UIO-66-NH2 (317 cm3·g−1). Simultaneously, our first attempt to use it for anti-evaporation applications in an arid environment (Lanzhou, China) simulating sandy areas. The evaporation rate of the anti-evaporation material treated with 0.20 % super moisture-absorbent gels (SMAGs) decreased by 6.1 % over 64 h period under natural condition in Lanzhou, China. The prepared material can not only absorb liquid water but also water vapor, which can provide a new way for water collection and conservation technology. The design strategy of this material has wide applications ranging from atmospheric water harvesting materials to anti-evaporation technology.