News
News Categories

Specially-Coated Cotton Collects or Repels Water Depending on the Temperature

By Hafeez Sim - on 22 Jan 2013, 2:48pm

Specially-Coated Cotton Collects or Repels Water Depending on the Temperature

Source: Eindhoven University of Technology

Animals and plants living in desert regions are able to survive despite the lack of water due to special adaptations or behavior that enable them to collect water. For example, beetles living in desert regions capture water water droplets on their bodies, which then roll into their mouths. 

Taking their inspiration from such examples, researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and Hong Kong Polytechnic have developed cotton coated with a special polymer, PNIPAAM, which allows for the cotton to absorb up to 340% of its own weight, compared to only 18% without the special coating. This specially-coated cotton will absorb water at temperatures 34°C and below. When the temperature gets warmer, the cotton will release the collected water. This will make it very useful people living in desert areas since the cotton will be able to collect water during the cold night and release the water when it gets hotter in the day.

Source: Eindhoven University of Technology via Engadget

 

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.