As efforts to harvest clean water in arid regions continue, a team of scientists has developed crystals that create water from air without using energy.
The team, from New York University Abu Dhabi's Smart Materials Lab, Jilin University in China and the Centre for Smart Engineering Materials, developed elastic organic crystals – named Janus. Inspired by desert plants and animals, these crystals are capable of capturing moisture from the air.
The findings, published in October in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, also showed how this technology could accelerate water collection on an industrial scale, potentially offering an alternative to energy-intensive desalination, which provides most of the UAE’s water.
According to US Geological Survey data, Earth's atmosphere holds about 13,000 cubic kilometres of water.
“This is an untapped source of water that is just present, but there are no efficient ways to utilise this water,” said professor of chemistry at NYU Abu Dhabi, Pance Naumov, who led the research. “We would like to capitalise on the fact that we have humidity present in the air, but what we need is a more efficient way to harvest that water and convert it into potable water.
“That water does not contain any salts, so we don’t need to use any energy to desalinate it. What we need is efficient technology to harvest it and convert it into liquid water.”
Prof Naumov added that the opportunities in Abu Dhabi are significant given the coastal location and the way that humidity fluctuates significantly during the course of the day, adding that their research is “very effective”.
“It is a record holder in the amount of water that it can collect over a certain period of time and over the surface area of the material.”
What's the science behind it?
Part of the surface of the crystals that Prof Naumov and his team have worked on is hydrophobic or water repellent, while the other part is hydrophilic, meaning they no longer repel water. Water is collected in a hydrophilic area and transported by a hydrophobic region to a receptacle.
This twin feature of the crystals is why it was named after a Roman god Janus who was often depicted with two faces.
Another key feature of the Janus crystals is their optical transparency, so if a laser or light is shone one side, it passes through to the other side. This property is useful to monitor water collection, Prof Naumov said.
“If the crystal does not have any water droplets on its surface, we have normal transduction of light, but when we have drops accumulating, because of different interactions between the crystal and the water, this affects the light passing through the crystal,” he explained. This makes the process “smart or advanced compared to other materials that do not have self-sensing capability”.
Alternatives to Janus crystals?
Any organic crystal that can grow in elongated shapes allowing some parts to be covered with a hydrophobic coating could potentially be used to collect water, Prof Naumov said. “In principle we can use environmentally-friendly or benign or even biodegradable crystals for the same purpose so they will be used to collect water and after that discarded and not have any footprint on the environment,” he added.
“The next stage would be for this technology to be developed further – to optimise the composition, for example, to compare different materials, to assess different crystals against existing water-collection materials and finally to scale this up on an industrial level.”
Desert beetles show ingenuity of nature
Beetles in Africa's Namib Desert collect water from fog on their shells, a phenomenon that has intrigued researchers for years. The insects feature hydrophilic bumps that accumulate moisture from the air and hydrophobic channels that direct water to their mouths.
In a paper published early this year in PNAS Nexus, researchers in the US highlighted the importance for water collection of tiny surface irregularities on the backs of desert beetles with the scientific name Onymacris bicolour.
The scientists compared the water-collection capabilities of dead beetles that had their shells coated with gold paint (which affects wettability), nail polish (which covers surface irregularities) and both paint and polish. These were then placed in tiny channels through which fog passed.
It showed that the ones with gold coating had little impact on the amount of water collected, while those that were not covered by nail polish showed greater water harvesting.
Dr Hunter King, an assistant professor at Rutgers University in the US, said that the “impaction efficiency”, which is a key factor affecting water accumulation, “is significantly increased by the texture of the surface”.
“We have also clearly seen that dramatically changing the surface chemistry or wettability of the surface has no effect on impaction,” he told The National.
“I'm hopeful that our takeaway – that the shape and texture of an aerosol-intercepting target … can significantly affect collection – could be used to enhance relevant technologies,” he said, adding that it will be helpful for developing devices that collect water.
Watch: Innovation at heart of water security fight
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
More on animal trafficking
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
