Revolutionary Hydrogel Extracts Water from Desert Air

Researchers at MIT have developed a hydrogel material infused with lithium chloride that can absorb moisture and extract water from the air, even in desert regions. The hydrogel can store a lot of water and the salt can capture a lot of vapor, making it a superabsorbent material. The hydrogel can be produced quickly and in large amounts, making it a potential passive water harvester and energy-saving solution for air conditioning units. The team's study is published in the journal Advanced Materials, and the research was supported, in part, by the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Swiss National Science Foundation.