> a new class of nanostructured materials that can pull water from the air, collect it in pores and release it onto surfaces without the need for any external energy
As a similar comment note, it's like a high tech Dehumidifier bag. https://www.amazon.com/Wisesorb-Moisture-Eliminator-Fragranc... The bags have Calcium Chloride and absorb water from unsaturated air and make small drops of water. It's obvious that they get depleted, and to use them again you must buy a new one or boil all the water to get the crystals again.
In this new material, the droplets are attached to the material. To remove them you must use energy. They don't just drop to a bucket bellow the device magically. You can't use it to "harvest" water without energy. You can sweep the droplets with a paper towel, but now to remove the water from the paper towel you need energy.
> With a material that could potentially defy the laws of physics in their hands
This does not break the laws of physics. It would be nice that the PR department of the universities get a short course explaining that if they believe the laws of physics are broken, then they must double check with the authors and then triple check with another independent experts. Tech journalist should take the same course.
Never quit experimenting on something worthwhile, for one thing so you're always experimenting.
The best things may come by accident, which is where it sometimes just starts to get good.
But what are the difference in odds for someone who is constantly experimenting versus someone who experiments not at all?
Regardless of what you really set out to accomplish to begin with.
And which has the momentum to continue experimenting, even in the case of a major pivot?
Looks like they really have hit the sweet spot and it's a bit like creating molecular sieves which are tuned to release the collected moisture without excess energy.
Could also be harvesting a little ambient energy and working to "zone refine" the atmospheric fluid.
DocTomoe 1 days ago [-]
Now make this a marketable power-less air dehumidifier. This is one of those 'changing whole industries' things.
WalterGR 1 days ago [-]
Those exist in the form of dehumidifier bags, and they're inexpensive and easy to get. Does this material have benefits over what's currently in use?
DocTomoe 23 hours ago [-]
Dehumidifier bags are bulky. Surfaces, on the other side, can be folded into loops, which should increase the amount of humidity they can absorb.
Rendered at 19:00:29 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
As a similar comment note, it's like a high tech Dehumidifier bag. https://www.amazon.com/Wisesorb-Moisture-Eliminator-Fragranc... The bags have Calcium Chloride and absorb water from unsaturated air and make small drops of water. It's obvious that they get depleted, and to use them again you must buy a new one or boil all the water to get the crystals again.
In this new material, the droplets are attached to the material. To remove them you must use energy. They don't just drop to a bucket bellow the device magically. You can't use it to "harvest" water without energy. You can sweep the droplets with a paper towel, but now to remove the water from the paper towel you need energy.
> With a material that could potentially defy the laws of physics in their hands
This does not break the laws of physics. It would be nice that the PR department of the universities get a short course explaining that if they believe the laws of physics are broken, then they must double check with the authors and then triple check with another independent experts. Tech journalist should take the same course.
Note that the bad sentence and the misleading title is from the university https://blog.seas.upenn.edu/penn-engineers-discover-a-new-cl...
The best things may come by accident, which is where it sometimes just starts to get good.
But what are the difference in odds for someone who is constantly experimenting versus someone who experiments not at all?
Regardless of what you really set out to accomplish to begin with.
And which has the momentum to continue experimenting, even in the case of a major pivot?
Looks like they really have hit the sweet spot and it's a bit like creating molecular sieves which are tuned to release the collected moisture without excess energy.
Could also be harvesting a little ambient energy and working to "zone refine" the atmospheric fluid.