"In their system, the engineers use ultrasonic waves to shake the water out of the material that can absorb moisture from the air. This said material is an ultrasonic actuator made of a flat ceramic ring, which receives the electricity during vibrations. In their research, the team learned that this vibration can break the weak connection between the water molecules and the sorbent, so when the waves hit the flat ceramic ring and the system, the water inside it loosens and falls out as droplets,"
"Around the ceramic ring is another ring that has many small holes, which guide the water droplets into collection containers placed above and below the device. When the sorbent sits on top of the ring, the ultrasound moves through the material and forces the water downward into the holes, pooling into water that users can drink right away. all images courtesy of Ikra Iftekhar and MIT"
A vibrating flat ceramic ring acting as an ultrasonic actuator extracts clean drinking water from humid air by mechanically breaking weak bonds between water molecules and sorbent materials. Ultrasonic waves shake water from the sorbent so droplets form and fall through a perforated outer ring into collection containers above and below the device. Coin-sized sorbent samples absorbed moisture in controlled humidity boxes and released most stored water within minutes when placed on the actuator, leaving the sorbents dry and ready for reuse. The device operates rapidly compared with solar-thermal designs and can be powered by a small solar cell for off-grid use.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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